Facebook has confirmed that it’s working on a video app for televisions.
Previously, videos from Facebook could be streamed to TVs through devices like Apple TV and Chromecast. Now, this functionality will be available through a dedicated app, which the company says will be rolled out soon on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV. Additional platforms will be revealed in the future.
With the app, users can watch videos shared by friends or followed pages, top live videos from all across the world and recommended videos based on interests. Videos that have been saved or watched can be viewed as well.
This announcement follows reports that Facebook has been working on a video app since summer of 2016. However, it was originally claimed that the app would feature original Facebook programming, similar to Amazon Prime Video or Netflix Originals. The company hasn’t confirmed any plans to do so, at least as of today.
The company also announced a few other changes coming to Facebook videos on iOS and Android today. In the News Feed, videos played silently, requiring users to tap on videos to turn on sound. With the new update, sound fades in and out when videos are scrolled through in the News Feed.
It will also now be possible to minimize currently playing videos to a picture-in-picture view that keeps playing in the corner of the screen, allowing for continued browsing. On Android devices, the video will play even when the Facebook app is exited. And finally, videos can now be watched vertically on phones.
Image credit: Flickr – Joe The Goat Farmer
Source: Facebook
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