Facebook starts testing ‘Watch’ video platform in India: Here’s how it works

Facebook’s dedicated video platform, ‘Watch’ is visible to select Android users in India. Watch will not only show curated content from existing publishers, but original shows as well.

Facebook Watch platform is currently available to select Android users only. (REUTERS)

Facebook has started testing its dedicated video platform 'Watch' in India. Facebook Watch was launched in August last year with availability only in the US. Following reports of the company launching Watch in India this year, some Android users have now started seeing the feature on Facebook.

Facebook has been pushing for videos on its platform following Mark Zuckerberg's announcement of seeing "video as a megatrend" during an earnings call last February. Watch will not only show curated content from existing publishers, but original shows as well. The social media giant announced last year that it will spend up to $1 billion on original content. Some of the original shows hosted on Facebook Watch include Huda Beauty's 'Huda Boss', 'Humans of New York: The Series', Returning the Favor', and more.

"Watch is a platform for all creators and publishers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work," Facebook explained in a blog post last year.

Watch will feature regular shows from different creators and publishers on Facebook. The platform will show episodes which follow a theme or storyline from pages users follow and also recommend similar content. There's also a 'Watchlist' for users to keep up with all the new shows.

The interface of Watch is pretty simple just two sections called 'Watchlist' and Top Videos for You'. Watchlist displays six pages you follow on Facebook. You can tap the 'See All' button to see the full list of creators and publishers. You can also customise your watchlist by selecting which publishers' videos will be shown.

Facebook Watch platform on Android. (Facebook)

Facebook Watch platform on Android. (Facebook)

The 'Top Videos for You' section shows videos from the pages you follow and also others that are of similar interest. The videos are shown with the number of views received and a menu button for actions to save the video, hide the post and more. The video playback is shown the same as it does on the news feed. But tapping on the back button will take you back to Watch.

The videos are shown with the number of views received and a menu button for actions to save the video, hide the post and more. The video playback is shown the same as it does on the news feed. But tapping on the back button will take you back to Watch.