We knew it was coming, but Facebook’s new video-focused app is now available to download on Samsung smart TVs.
The social networking giant first announced plans to launch a standalone TV app a couple of weeks back, kicking off with Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung TVs. The exact date of availability had hitherto been unclear, but now anyone with a Samsung smart TV model from 2015 onwards can download the app from today.
The dedicated app allows users to watch videos that are shared by their friends and brand Pages and to search for videos from around the world. Facebook previously revealed that it would also recommend videos based on a user’s stated preferences and previous activities.
The move represents the latest in a long-standing battle between Facebook and Google-owned YouTube, which has offered TV apps for many years already. Twitter, too, has thrown its hat into the proverbial video-streaming ring, recently launching its own live video app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Xbox One.
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Embracing video is one of a number of ways Facebook is looking to boost its revenues — just last week, Facebook announced that it would start inserting mid-roll video ads. Additionally, the company revealed plans to begin monetizing live video, with celebrities and brands able to include 20-second ad breaks in their live broadcasts.
