Facebook Launches Ad-Free Video App for Apple TV

Facebook’s Video app is now out for the fourth-generation Apple TV, just one day after it launched on Samsung Smart TV sets.

News of the dedicated tvOS application first came from a Facebook blog post earlier this month. Touted as a new way to consume videos on a larger-screen format, the Apple TV and Smart TV app allows Facebook users to watch videos shared by their friends and Pages that they follow, or view content that they’ve saved to a “watch later” playlist. Additionally, like Facebook’s other platforms, the app will let users stream live video from across the globe, and will recommend content based on individual likes and interests.

It’s largely an expansion of a previous feature released in October that let users stream video via AirPlay or similar systems. The dedicated TV app takes that idea a step further, and encourages a relaxing video viewing experience — the app is split into different sections and automatically plays videos back-to-back, much like the current version of Facebook’s iOS app does.

Currently, the app is ad-free — although that might change in the future, since Facebook is currently exploring how to implement ads mid-way through a video, Recode reported. It’s a way for Facebook to help foster and reward longer and higher-quality video content that people actually watch all the way through — and it comes hot on the heels of a reported plan to stop paying publishers to stream live video.

The dedicated TV app and ad placement are also indicative of a broader push at Menlo Park. The social media giant is doubling-down on video streaming, and has even been talking with major sports leagues about the possibility of streaming sports games, according to a Reuters report from earlier this month. In fact, much of the evidence seems to point toward a sea change of focusing on longer-form videos, perhaps in an effort compete with YouTube, Twitter, Netflix and Hulu — the kind of content well-suited for viewing on, say, an Apple TV.

To start, Facebook promised to rollout the app for Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, with “more platforms” to come.