Facebook Watch Adds Cult Classics ‘Firefly’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’

Last Friday, Facebook Watch made an effort to boost its video streaming service, by dropping every season of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and “Firefly” on the platform.

These three Whedonverse shows were added to the streaming service as a result of a deal between Facebook and 20th Century Fox Television.

Facebook launched Facebook Watch, its on-demand video service, back in August 2017 and become available internationally to all users a year later, but has yet to gain popularity among the majority of its users, especially among already existed competitors like YouTube and Netflix.

With these three new shows, Facebook Watch is also encouraging viewers to watch them with its Watch Party feature, which allows users to watch videos while discussing in real-time with friends.

“What we've been focused on Watch is building a people-centric video platform, creating a social viewing experience where you can connect with other people who love the shows, and even the creatives who worked on them,” Matthew Henick, Head of Content Planning and Strategy for Media Partnerships for Facebook, said in a conversation with Variety.

Watch Party is a feature launched to Groups in July 2018 and has now been made available to all Pages and users, meaning anyone can start a Watch Party with friends directly from the videos they are watching, or by sharing on their Timeline. Since Watch Party's launch, more than 12 million Watch Parties have been streamed, according to Variety.

What makes it even more fascinating is in Facebook Watch's choice of streaming these particular three shows, which dp have a cult following two decades ago but don't seem to be the favorites of Millennials and Gen Z. It thus seems to be Watch's effort to focus on attracting older Millennials.

“We are excited to bring iconic pop culture favorites like these series for their avid fan communities to experience them in new ways, and for new fans to discover these awesome 90s classics,” said Facebook's VP of Video, Fidji Simo, in her Facebook post.

Although, as CNBC reported, it can also be the hint of Facebook's new strategy in reaction to teens leaving the main Facebook platform, with a new focus on viewers in their 30s and older.

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