Facebook Planning To Have Its Own Video Programming

You might soon be able to watch dramas and sports shows on Facebook. The social networking giant is considering having its own video programming, such as scripted and unscripted shows and sports programs, by buying content from television studios and other content producers to beef up Facebook's videos feature.

Facebook's Ricky Van Veen, who heads global creative strategy, said the company wants to maximize how people use Facebook for watching videos on mobile devices and interacting socially. He said Facebook's goal is to show people a range of possibilities for the social media site by working with video partners from different parts of the world, CNET reports.

Another purpose, according to Van Veen, is for Facebook to be able to establish an "ecosystem" for partner content. TechCrunch reports that that it is not entirely new for Facebook, which has struck deals with media organizations that pay it for using the Facebook Live feature.

Technology analysts believe that should Facebook fund its own content, it could become similar to the video streaming sites Netflix and Amazon Prime - but of course, with a dimension for social interaction.

According to Engadget, having its own video programming could also change the way Facebook sees itself. It has always insisted that it is not a media company, but that mindset is likely to change once it already has its own media content.

Some are skeptical of the planned move, noting that Facebook already has tons of user-generated videos to capitalize on. TechRadar says there are also questions about which audience demographic Facebook would target for its content, considering that it has more than a billion active daily users from different parts of the world.

It is also unclear what incentives producers would have for creating content for Facebook, especially since signing up for an account is free and the site has a strict policy for ads.