October 27, 2017
Netflix has been on a bit of a tear, producing high-budget original content at a rate of knots that few production companies can keep up with. The video streaming services has become so good at it that even Disney pulling content from its platform is not enough to slow its progress. We have a thirst for Netflix original content and that “Netflix Original” has become a brand in itself. “So what?!” says Facebook.
With the launch of “Watch”, Facebook changed gear on their video ambitions. The service promises a more streamlined viewing experience and the ability to engage with their community of friends around the content.
In Zuckerberg’s world, we probably all either watch TV with our laptop beside us or watch long, 30 minute videos, on our mobile device. I suspect what is currently true, is that we watch TV, or our favourite video streaming platform, with our mobile device nearby. We probably message our community from that mobile device.
What has happened is that, in keeping with Facebook’s long-term behaviour, there has been a focus on user experience as opposed to content. Facebook has never been a content creator, rather a content facilitator. For Facebook, content is queen and product is king. This approach has worked for Facebook and likely always will.