Facebook Watch has announced several new news program that will premiere on the offering later this year. While the shows are funded by Facebook in order to promote the existence of the programs, each editorial partner will have full editorial control.
The new shows are CNN’s Anderson Cooper Full Circle (Cooper’s other show is Anderson Cooper: 360° and 360° would be a full circle), Fox News’s Fox News Update, ABC News’s On Location, Univision’s Real America with Jorge Ramos, Mic’s Mic Dispatch, Advance Local’s Chasing Corruption, and ATTN’s Undivided ATTN.
Fox News Update will be done by Carley Shimkus each weekday morning, Shepard Smith each weekday afternoon, and Abby Huntsman weekend mornings.
Anderson Cooper Full Circle will air weekdays at 6:25 PM and include material from Cooper and CNN correspondents. CNN also says that there will be interviews done for the show and that Cooper will engage with viewers on Facebook Watch. According to a promotional video released by CNN, viewers will have a say on what is covered through The Five Things You Want to Know, the five most-voted on stories by viewers.
“We’re excited to expand our partnership with Facebook and open up a new avenue to reach our audience. The launch of Full Circle on Facebook Watch helps to address two key concerns that CNN and other publishers have voiced to Facebook over the past several years,” said Andrew Morse, CNN EVP and General Manager of CNN Digital Worldwide. “First, Watch will provide Facebook users with a curated experience featuring quality sources of news. Second, the program is a sign Facebook is willing to attach real value to premium content and quality journalism.”
“Because of that, we are optimistic about future revenue opportunities”