MTV’s Real World which is regarded as the world’s first reality series is being renewed as a web series. Facebook Watch will be the series’ new home. This announcement was made today at the MIPCOM TV industry trade show
The show is being rejuvenated as a web series for the first time since it made its debut on cable television 26 years ago. In Spring 2019, fans will be able to vote who they want as the final housemate.
This format will be great for the show and fans will now be able to connect with the guests via Facebook Watch Party’s synchronized viewing chat rooms. The fans will get a first-hand experience into the cast members’ lives via the chat feature.
The 32nd season of the show was the show’s latest season. It aired on MTV around 1.5 years ago. The delay was most likely due to the producers wanting to spice up the show’s format. Deadline reported that the producers are looking to cut a deal with various streaming services.
It’s hard to believe that Facebook Watch has been in existence for more than a year now. Facebook Watch launched in August 2017 but has been dead weight for the social media giant ever since.
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The platform hasn’t seen much growth in terms of viewers or original content. This might be due to a lot of unknown shows being released simultaneously when the platform went live.
The streaming platform now seems to be picking up steam. Around 50 million people watch content on Facebook Watch for at least a minute. Total stream time has increased 14 folds since the start of this year.
Facebook is not looking to compete with streaming giants such as Netflix or Hulu, rather Youtube Originals and Snapchat Discover. There is already so much content available for users; they will need something out of the ordinary to catch their attention.
Facebook will need to stop putting up fluff and filler content and rather take this opportunity seriously. Facebook Watch needs its own version of House of Cards or Breaking Bad if it wants even a sliver of a fighting chance.
The Real World will provide a bit of hope and some breathing space for the executives working at Facebook Watch, but nothing else. Time is an expensive commodity these days, while options are unlimited.
Consumers have all the power in the world when it comes to choosing what they want to watch. I will be left speechless when someone chooses to watch The Real World over let’s say the final season of Game of Thrones.
Facebook was running these shows by paying upfront. Since there will be ad breaks in 25 countries, it can look to make some money off of these shows. But Facebook has never been short of cash, so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
The company wanted to dominate the sphere of on-demand video streams, a battle it seems to be losing despite introducing other shows such as Confetti and World’s Most Amazing Dog.
The titles alone are enough to put me to sleep. Thanks to Facebook, but I’ll pass.
Areen Zahra
Noor Imtiaz
