Facebook is testing a way to let people watch video premieres in Facebook Live

Although the ability to publish pre-recorded video to Facebook Live has been an option for some time, it’s required the use of third-party programs like OBS and Wirecast. Now, Facebook is testing a feature called Premieres, which will let creators publish already-made videos to Facebook Live, as reported today by Engadget.

While there isn’t much information on Premieres yet, it appears to be angled toward content like movie trailers, Facebook Watch shows, and music videos, and it would come with Facebook Live functions like chat. Essentially, it’s a way for publishers to bring the experience of a television premiere or film trailer drop to Facebook, allowing people to experience a new video together in real time. “We’re testing this now with a group of diverse video creators, publishers, and shows,” Facebook’s Fidji Simo tells Deadline. “And we’ll be rolling this out more broadly soon.”

The ability to natively publish pre-recorded content would certainly make sense for Facebook, which has been expanding its stable of original series. Facebook recently ordered a dramedy series starring Avengers: Infinity War star Elizabeth Olsen, as well as a 10-episode fairy tale horror series called Sacred Lies. It’s reported that the company plans on spending up to $1 billion on original TV in 2018. The Verge has reached out to Facebook for comment on how exactly Premieres differs from the existing tools that let creators publish pre-recorded video to its Live platform.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/18/17253158/facebook-live-premieres-pre-recorded-video-movie-trailers-original-content