Facebook video platform Watch is getting an update. A new “Your Topics” feature lets users choose areas of interest—from music and performing arts to science and tech to home and garden.
Launched in 2017 as Facebook’s answer to YouTube, Watch is a video-on-demand service presenting scripted shows, sporting events, social media influencers, and news media. The service currently offers recommendations based on video popularity and engagement. But new “topics” make it easier for users to specify their interests: animals, art, home and garden, music, science and technology, sports, etc.
Twitter user @whimchic was alerted to the update via an in-app notification, revealing that Facebook “will focus on showing you more videos in Watch that are related to the #Topics you follow.” “Due to the many different ways your Watch feed is determined and how videos get categorized, you may see videos in your Watch feed that you aren’t interested in,” the announcement said, as published by TechCrunch. “Some videos related to the #Topics or Pages you follow may not appear in your Watch feed.”
(Photo via whimchic/Twitter)
To access the new feature, visit Facebook Watch on mobile > profile > “Your Topics” to browse the available categories, then tap any section to narrow down which topics to follow: Within travel and leisure, for instance, you can find specific subjects like #TravelOceania or #WinterActivities, according to TechCrunch. You’ll receive a confirmation message for each topic you follow.
Facebook did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment. In a statement to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson said “we’re working on more ways to connect people with videos that match their interests.”
