(WSVN) - Facebook had humble beginnings as an online social network for college students. The site has undergone massive expansion in a relatively short period of time. While it may have started on computers, it’s morphed to overtaking smartphones. Now Mark Zuckerberg’s empire wants to be on TV screens as well.
The company said Tuesday it is working to provide apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TVs, to allow videos shared on the site to stream on bigger screens.
“With the app, you can watch videos shared by friends or Pages you follow, top live videos from around the world, and recommended videos based on your interests,” Facebook said in the announcement. “You can also catch up on videos you’ve saved to watch later, as well as revisit videos you’ve watched, shared or uploaded.”
The move could mean new ways for Facebook to earn advertising dollars.
“I see video as a megatrend on the same order as mobile,” Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO and cofounder, said on an earnings call this month. “That’s why we’re going to keep putting video first across our family of apps and making it easier for people to capture and share video in new ways.”
According to CNN, Facebook hired CollegeHumor founder Ricky Van Veen last year, tasking him with investing in original programming. Facebook has also paid publishers and celebrities to post live videos, signaling their significant interest in creating new ways to engage viewers in real time.
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