The new Facebook Video app is now live on Apple TV following a rollout to Samsung Smart TV devices last week. The smart TV app had been rumored for weeks and was confirmed by Facebook last month. The app will also ultimately be available on Amazon Fire TV.
The Apple TV app is focused firmly on video browsing and doesn’t enable users to parse through their Newsfeeds or photos, Techcrunch reports. Instead, viewers can watch videos shared by friends or browse videos furnished by individual Pages. Additionally, the app recommends content based on users’ interests. Users can also save videos from other devices to consume later on TV.
On the livestreaming front, viewers can tune into Facebook Live broadcasts as they happen. To this end, Facebook is also reportedly seeking to live stream one MLB game every week.
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The social network’s connected TV app could become a crucial venue for various original content endeavors it reportedly has in the works, including music videos and longer, premium-style shows helmed by Ricky Van Veen and MTV’s former head of scripted development, Mina Lefevre. And while Variety reports that the videos showcased on the connected TV app won’t carry ads just yet, Facebook is reportedly piloting mid-roll ads in both standard videos and live streams that appear either after 20 seconds or four minutes of playback, respectively.
