Facebook Watch was a video-on-demand service launched by Facebook in 2017 as a way for people to watch videos from different creators and publishers directly within the Facebook app. However, despite Facebook’s big ambitions, Facebook Watch ultimately failed to gain traction and was shut down in October 2022.
There were a few key reasons why Facebook Watch did not succeed and ended up being shut down after 5 years:
Lack of Original Content
One of the main issues with Facebook Watch was that it lacked compelling and exclusive original video content. Unlike streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu that invest heavily in creating original movies and shows, most of the videos on Facebook Watch were existing content that was already available on other platforms like YouTube. There were very few “must watch” original shows that drove people to the service.
Poor Video Discovery
Discovering new videos to watch was also a major challenge on Facebook Watch. Videos were poorly organized and difficult to search through compared to YouTube or TikTok. Facebook did not crack the code on video recommendation and helping users find content tailored to their tastes. This made it hard for people to find videos they wanted to watch and hurt engagement.
No Mobile Focus
Facebook Watch was designed primarily as a desktop web experience, even though video viewing is shifting more and more to mobile. The Facebook Watch mobile apps were often buggy and lacked key features, hurting the ability to retain viewers on the go. Mobile video consumption is critical in today’s landscape, and Facebook’s mobile missteps hampered Watch.
The Launch of Facebook Watch
To better understand why Facebook Watch ultimately failed, it’s helpful to look back at its launch and initial product strategy:
August 2017 Launch
Facebook officially unveiled Facebook Watch in August 2017 as a new platform for creators and publishers to distribute video content within Facebook’s apps. This included an on-demand “Watch” tab in Facebook’s desktop app as well as a new Facebook Watch mobile app.
Focus on Original Series
At launch, Facebook touted exclusive new shows from high-profile partners like Major League Baseball and National Geographic. The goal was to make Facebook Watch a destination for “original and episodic video content” similar to Netflix or Hulu.
Ad Revenue Sharing
To get content partners on board, Facebook offered to share 55% of ad breaks revenue from videos in Watch. This revenue sharing model was intended to incentivize publishers to distribute video content through Watch rather than other platforms.
However, despite investments in video creators and marketing the new service, Facebook Watch failed to gain meaningful traction with most Facebook users.
The Decline of Facebook Watch
In the years after its launch, Facebook Watch struggled to compete in the crowded video streaming space. A few major factors contributed to its downfall:
Low Viewership
Facebook admitted in 2019 that Watch videos only had an average daily viewership of 720,000 people in the US across Facebook’s apps. To put that into context, YouTube says over 2 billion logged-in users visit the site every month. The low viewership made Facebook Watch unattractive for content publishers.
Loss of Interest from Creators
Many video creators lost interest in Facebook Watch once they realized the challenges of building an audience and generating revenue. For example, some major media companies like Mic, Vox, and Group Nine pulled their content from Watch in 2020 to focus more on YouTube.
Pivot to Short-Form Video
As TikTok surged in popularity with its short video format, Facebook shifted its video strategy in 2020 to focus more on supporting short-form, Reels-style videos. This diminished the company’s already fading investment in the long-form video strategy of Facebook Watch.
By 2022, Facebook Watch had clearly stalled, leading Facebook’s parent company Meta to finally pull the plug.
The Shutdown of Facebook Watch
In September 2022, Meta announced that Facebook Watch would be shutting down permanently in October 2022. Here are some details on the shutdown:
Wind-Down Period
Facebook stopped allowing new content to be posted to Watch as of September 2022. However, existing videos will remain available for viewing until the full shutdown in October 2022.
Content Migration
Video creators on Facebook Watch will have the ability to migrate their existing video libraries over to Meta’s newer short-form video services Reels and Facebook Videos going forward.
Shift to Reels Prioritization
Without Facebook Watch, Meta said it will focus its video priorities on Reels and investments in short-form, TikTok-style creative content. This reflects the overall decline of long-form video streaming on social platforms.
While Facebook is sunsetting Watch, users will still be able to upload and view videos within the main Facebook app and Page tabs as they could before.
Why Facebook Watch Failed
Looking back, there were some core reasons why Facebook Watch was not able to succeed and compete in the crowded video streaming space:
Identity Crisis
Facebook Watch struggled with an identity crisis from the start – was it a video platform for creators like YouTube, or a premium video service like Netflix? Without a clear direction, it failed to excel at either.
Poor Recommendations
Facebook failed to leverage its data and algorithms to personalize video recommendations and drive discovery the way YouTube does. This made it challenging for users to find videos to watch.
Reluctance to Invest
Facebook was hesitant to spend billions generating hit original shows like Netflix, Hulu or Disney do. But without those major investments, Watch lacked must-see content.
Wrong Platform Fit
Long-form video viewing may not have been the right fit for a social media platform where video historically skews shorter. The pivot to short-form video highlighted this mismatch.
In the end, Facebook likely spread itself too thin trying to morph into a streaming platform on top of its social network roots when users come to Facebook for different needs.
The Future of Video on Facebook
While Facebook Watch is going away, video will remain a core part of the Facebook app experience going forward. Here is what to expect next:
Focus on Reels
Short-form, vertical videos in the Reels format will be Meta’s priority. Copying the success of TikTok is the goal.
Support for Creators
Meta will continue investing in creator monetization tools and a TikTok-style creator fund to incentivize video production.
Emphasis on Discovery
Finding relevant videos and creators to follow will likely improve over time, similar to TikTok’s “For You” feed.
Integration with Instagram
Facebook Reels and Instagram Reels may eventually become one unified short-form video experience.
Facebook will aim to learn from Watch’s failures while evolving its video strategy to better compete in today’s landscape. The days of trying to be a premium long-form video platform are over, but video remains core to Facebook’s vision.
Conclusion
In the end, Facebook Watch fell victim to an unclear product vision, weak content library, discovery issues, and flawed platform fit. While it was an ambitious effort by Facebook, Watch faced an uphill battle against dominant streaming players like YouTube and Netflix. Facebook’s future focus is now on short-form video instead of long-form in order to contend with TikTok. Though Watch has shut down, video will remain an integral part of Facebook as Meta adapts its strategy to the evolving video landscape.
| Year | Key Event |
|---|---|
| August 2017 | Official launch of Facebook Watch |
| 2019 | Low viewership stats revealed |
| 2020 | Creators begin leaving Watch |
| September 2022 | Shutdown of Watch announced |
| October 2022 | Facebook Watch shuts down |
Facebook Watch had a short lifespan, from its launch in 2017 to its shutdown in 2022. Key events like low viewership stats being revealed in 2019 and creators leaving the platform in 2020 signaled its decline. While Facebook Watch failed, video remains an important focus for Meta as they shift strategies to short-form Reels.
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