Facebook has launched its very own standalone app to take on the likes of Youtube and Twitch. The app has been titled ‘Facebook Gaming: Watch, Play, and Connect’ and is currently available for download in Android's Play Store and will be made available for iOS devices soon.
The app will largely be focussed on the streaming community, however, it will also feature casual online games including titles like Basketball FRVR, UNO and 8 Ball Pool in its app. Facebook has been testing various versions of this app in South America and Southeast Asia over the last few months.
Facebook has reportedly stated that they will not be running advertisements on this platform. Instead, the company will be relying on viewer “stars” (similar to bits in Twitch) to monetize their app.
Currently, Twitch and Youtube Gaming hold the largest share of gaming viewership, commanding 61% and 28% of hours watched in December 2019, respectively. Facebook Gaming merely managed to get 3% of the market share.
With the launch of this app, featuring streaming utilizing mobile hardware, Facebook is clearly targeting the underserved Mobile gaming audience in the South East Asian, South Asian and South American regions who have a higher share of the mobile gaming demographic compared to Europe and North America.