By: Nick Gambino
Facebook wants to dominate the world. With close to 2 billion users they’ve got themselves well positioned to do just that. As part of that plan they need to be everywhere all the time.
The social media giant has just released a new feature where you can play their videos through Apple TV and Google Chromecast.
Product Director, Brent Ayrey, announced it in a blog post, “We’re focused on creating video experiences that people want, and we’ve heard that people want different options for how and where they watch videos that they discover on Facebook.”
Streaming through either device is pretty simple. When you play a video, click on the little TV icon in the upper right corner. It will list all the devices around you that you can stream to. Select the one you want and it’ll show up on your TV.
One cool thing about this feature, other than seeing FB videos on a bigger, higher quality screen, is that you’ll then be able to continue to scroll through your News Feed and use the app on your phone or computer all while the video plays on your TV.
Now if you’re streaming a Facebook Live video all the real-time comments, etc. will show up on the TV as well.
This simple but smart move on Facebook’s part will likely allow the social media platform to garner more ad revenue as more people will inevitably watch their videos if they have the option to watch it on a bigger screen. I think of a scenario where someone wants to show several people a funny video. Instead of everyone huddling around a small screen it can just be AirPlayed.
For now, the feature is only available through iOS devices and internet browsers with a plan to bring it to Android devices soon.
What do you think of this new Facebook feature? Let us know in the comments below! Seriously, just type something and hit “Post Comment.” Simple as that.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Gambino is a regular script writer and tech beat reporter for NewsWatch. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and daughter.
