Facebook reportedly developing a teen-centric chat app with parental controls

Steinar Engeland/Unsplash

Facebook is still adamant to get teens to use its services. And we know Snapchat has managed to capture the younger market. Now, it’s been discovered that Facebook might be developing a new chat app to attract the teenagers in your life. A report from The Information found code inside the main Facebook app that shows a new, unreleased app called Talk. One of the comments in the code says “Kids love using the creative tools in ‘Talk’ to play games and share fun masks with family and friends.” The app would most likely be restricted to users 13 years or older.

And its main differentiator is that it gives the parents of kids control over who they get to talk to. A line of code says, “Talk is a messaging app where you fully control the contacts.” One more line in the code says children will talk to parents in Messenger and it wouldn’t require a Facebook profile to use. But we’re not sure if this is something that will click, especially if parental controls are involved. Facebook declined to comment about this app and whether it is something they will release.

Source: Engadget

Original shows from Facebook are supposedly in your future with new partnerships

James Martin/CNET

You don’t need to be following Facebook so closely to know that video is a big feature for the social network. And now it seems Facebook wants to grow this segment further with partnerships it reportedly has lined up with some big media companies. A Reuters report claims the likes of Buzzfeed, Vox, Attn, and Group Nine Media (which is known for NowThis, The Dodo, and Thrillist) have signed deals with Facebook to develop scripted and unscripted shows for the platform. The scripted shows will be owned by Facebook and will run around 20 to 30 minutes, while the shorter unscripted clips will run five to 10 minutes and won’t be owned by the social network. There will be ads included in both shows. It’s rumoured that Facebook is willing to pay up to US$250,000 for the scripted, longer shows.

While Facebook won’t comment about the deal yet, this move is seen as a way for Facebook to go up against the likes of YouTube and Snapchat when it comes to generating advertising dollars for its platform. It’s also something that might entice users to stay on Facebook longer they plan to.

Source: CNET

Facebook Live to bring chat and joint video streams to users

Facebook is bringing features that used to only be open to public figures to its livestreaming video service. The two new features Facebook Live is testing out with some of its users are the ability to chat privately with a friend during a live video instead of just seeing public comments. But Facebook will allow you to jump to and from the private and public chats while the stream is happening. You can even continue talking after the stream ended via Messenger. Another is being able to have joint live streams with someone. The latter used to only be available to public figures and celebrities but Facebook wants to bring this to all its users. Facebook is testing this out first on mobile in several countries but plans to have a broader rollout of the features “later this summer.”

Source: CNET

Facebook to close Oculus VR animation studio

Henry | Oculus Story Studio

The award-winning Oculus Story Studio is going to be shuttered by Facebook so it can focus more on supporting third-party creators. The two-year-old unit was behind the short film Henry, which won an Emmy in 2016 for Outstanding Original Interactive Program. But recognition doesn’t seem to be what Facebook wants to focus on. According to Oculus Vice President of Content Jason Rubin, “We’ve been looking at the best way to allocate our resources to create an impact on the ecosystem. After careful consideration, we’ve decided to shift our focus away from internal content creation to support more external production. As part of that shift, we’ll be winding down Story Studio.

Rubin, in a blog post, emphasizes that Oculus isn’t giving up on producing VR film and other creative content for the platform. He says they’ve even invested US$250 million last year on third-party content creators. “We’re going to carve out $50 [million] from that financial commitment to exclusively fund non-gaming, experiential VR content. This money will go directly to artists to help jumpstart the most innovative and groundbreaking VR ideas.

Source: CNET