ANNOUNCEMENTS

Investing in video content from European publishers

September 5, 2019

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Jesper Doub, Director, News Partnerships, EMEA
September 5, 2019
The internet has fundamentally changed how news publishers reach their audiences. We want to make sure Facebook is a good partner to the news industry, which is why we’re supporting the sector through investment and hands-on work with publishers.
Today, we're pleased to be announcing our latest collaboration with the news industry in Europe – video partnerships with publishers in France, Germany and Sweden, to create shows for Facebook Watch. Our goal is to allow publishers to experiment with new formats, engage new audiences, and build sustainable revenue streams on our dedicated video platform. Publishers will have full editorial control of these shows and will work closely with our team to understand which stories, topics and formats are resonating with audiences. This is just the start for us in Europe, and we’re excited to see the breadth of content these new partnerships will bring to Watch.
We know that shows by established publishers resonate with people on Watch. This time last year we invested in two global news shows with UK broadcasters Channel 4 News and BBC. Their shows, ‘Uncovered’ (Channel 4 News) and ‘Cut Through The Noise’ (BBC), tapped into their network of journalists to go deeper on a broad range of topics. Their pioneering use of our video tools across different formats has driven meaningful conversations around some major social issues. It’s been exciting to track their journeys so far, and we’re now in conversations to continue these programmes on Watch.
This is just the latest example of our support for the news industry in Europe. Over the past year, we’ve focused on increasing our investments and deepening our relationships with partners in the region. We’ve launched the Community News Project in the UK, a $6M fund to help the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and a range of regional publishers to find, hire and train 82 community journalists and place them in the heart of local newsrooms. We brought our Local News Accelerator to Europe for the first time, where we connected 14 German and Austrian publishers to experts alongside Tim Griggs, a former New York Times executive and leading digital media consultant, Yasmin Namini, a former NYT executive, and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). This €2M investment includes grant funding for the attending publishers to experiment with new digital subscription models. And this coming November we’re excited to be partnering with European Journalism Centre, International Journalism Festival and Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism on Europe’s first Community News Summit in Amsterdam.
At the same time, we’ve committed to building a globally diverse slate for Facebook Watch - a platform that continues to grow in importance here in Europe, with partners across the news, sports and entertainment sectors adding digital-first video to their content strategies. Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked closely with publishers to nurture videos that encourage conversations and connections, use our interactive tools, and bring in revenue through advertising.
Our hope is that we can help to create more opportunities for publishers to reach their audiences with new and creative forms of content. This investment in video content for Facebook Watch is the latest sign of our ongoing commitment to the sector in Europe and beyond.
New European shows coming to Facebook Watch
Germany
Axel Springer: BILD DAILY. A daily general-interest show featuring BILD’s most experienced journalists as they break down the hottest topics and headlines. The show will run Monday-Friday with in-studio and field reporting spanning politics, business, entertainment, sports and lifestyle.
Burda (Focus): Life Hacks. An interactive show that sees Facebook audiences seeking advice from a panel of experts, from young Vloggers to well-known celebrities and special guests.
Burda (Focus): NewsStories. A weekly news show with a popular host, covering topics such as politics, sports, viral videos, urban myths, fashion and more.
Burda (Bunte): Klaudia Saves The World. A 25-week educational travelogue, with weekly episodes that follow Klaudia Giez (‘Germany’s Next Top Model’) as she meets influential figures aiming to solve complex problems in modern society.
G+J: Superluminar - Das Social Wissensformat. A 15-episode weekly science show, hosted by Hannes Holtermann.
G+J: Der Fußball, mein Leben & ich. A 15-episode sports biography show featuring stars as they’re interviewed by editor-in-chief of football magazine 11FREUNDE, Philipp Köster.
G+J: Local Heroes - Food Heroes Deutschland. A 15-episode weekly food series spanning the breadth of Germany highlighting secret or little known places to eat, featuring chefs and restaurateurs.
G+J: Rücken an Rücken - Promikochen. A 15-episode weekly studio cookery show featuring celebrity guests who cook a dish with instructions from a professional chef.
France
Brut: Pendant ce temps là. A breaking news show running Monday-Friday that brings you new perspectives on the stories everyone's talking about.
Le Monde: Plan B. A weekly series featuring inspiring people who prepare the world for a sustainable future. The show will feature established journalists reporting from around the globe to better understand environmental issues.
BFMTV: Bonsoir Bruce. BFMTV, the most-watched news channel in France, introduces Bonsoir Bruce, a daily vertical video news show featuring Bruce Toussaint, one of the top news anchors in the country. Every day, Bruce sheds light on the top headline of the day as he interviews a guest, takes questions from Facebook users and fact-checks the most-trending stories.
Sweden
Expressen: Bara Nyheter. A daily show that summarizes the most important news, Monday - Friday, hosted by Expressen TV anchor Jennie Pierrou.

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