The Wall Street Journal reports social networking goliath Facebook is developing an app for set-top boxes like the Apple TV. The report says the new app is aimed at expanding the social network’s video offerings, hopefully expanding their revenue streams.
Late last year, some employees at Facebook started referring to the platform’s future as a type of “mobile TV,” one of the people said. The social network is hoping to cut into the time Americans spend watching live television–around four hours a day on average, according to media measurement firm Nielsen.
Citing the ever-popular “sources with knowledge of the company’s plans,” WSJ says Facebook is currently in talks with media companies to license TV-quality “premium” programming for the app. Videos would be 10 minutes and up in length and would be created exclusively for the social network. Video genres would include everything from sports to scripted dramas.
Facebook has been expanding their video content offerings in recent years, offering everything from short video pieces to broadcasting live user video content. The company now appears to be readying a move into longer, higher-quality video content. Facebook likely believes the move will expand their user audience, thus expanding the audience for those all-important revenue-bringing ad spots on the new video app.
(Via MacRumors)
