Facebook in talks with Hollywood studios to produce original TV-quality shows by late summer and has allocated a massive budget of $3 million per episode
- Facebook has already lined up 'Strangers', a relationship drama, report said
- Aim to target audiences from ages 13 to 34, with a focus on the 17 to 30 range
- Facebook was first rumoured to be designing its own TV app back in February
Facebook is in talks with Hollywood studios about producing scripted, TV-quality shows, with the aim of launching original programming by late summer.
The social networking giant has indicated that it was willing to commit to production budgets as high as $3 million (£2.4 million) per episode in meetings with Hollywood talent agencies, a report says.
Facebook is hoping to target audiences from ages 13 to 34, with a focus on the 17 to 30 range.
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Facebook is launching original programming, according to a new report which says it will target audiences from ages 13 to 34, with a focus on the 17 to 30 range
The company has already lined up 'Strangers', a relationship drama, and a game show, 'Last State Standing', the Wall Street Journal report said.
Facebook could not be immediately reached for comment.
The company is expected to release episodes in a traditional manner, instead of dropping an entire season in one go like Netflix Inc and Amazon.com Inc, WSJ reported.
The company is also willing to share its viewership data with Hollywood, the report said.
The focus on this type of content could help Facebook better take on its rivals, such as Snapchat and Twitter.
Snapchat already broadcasts original content coming from the like of Disney, MTV, MGM, Time Warner and A&E.
The news follows an annoucement that Apple has hired co-presidents of Sony Pictures Television, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, earlier this month, to lead its video-programming efforts.
Apple began its long-awaited move into original television series last week, with a reality show called 'Planet of the Apps', an unscripted show about developers trying to interest celebrity mentors with a 60-second pitch on an escalator.
The company has already lined up 'Strangers' (pictured), a relationship drama, and a game show, 'Last State Standing', the Wall Street Journal report said
The company's future programming plans include an adaptation of comedian James Corden's 'Carpool Karaoke' segment from his CBS Corp show that will begin airing in August.
According to reports earlier this month, the comedy 'Loosely Exactly Nicole' could also soon air again on Facebook.
The social media giant has also closed a deal for 'Last State Standing', which is a reality competition series from 'American Ninja Warrior' producers A. Smith and Co.'s Arthur Smith.
Facebook was first rumoured to be designing its own TV app back in February, in a bid to take on Netflix. The app was said to be launched on existing boxes like Apple TV (pictured) or Roku
It is believed that Facebook's original content will not just feature television series, but will also employ digital producers from other media outlets, like BuzzFeed and Vox Media, to create shortform series.
This would give them the ability to air the shows to its 1.9 billion monthly active users at any time via its own programming channel.
Facebook was first rumoured to be designing its own TV app back in February, in a bid to take on Netflix.
The app was said to be launched on existing boxes like Apple TV or Roku.
And like Netflix, Facebook aims to provide exclusive content on the app as part of a long-term strategy to make video the center of the platform.
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