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Facebook Watch
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With the release of Apple TV+ and Disney Plus and the impending debut of NBC’s Peacock streaming service as well as HBO Max, Facebook Watch decided to announce the cancellation of two of its original series Sorry For Your Loss – starring Elizabeth Olsen – after just two seasons – and Limetown – starring Jessica Biel – after just one season on Thursday. Is Facebook retreating in the streaming wars? Is the market becoming too saturated with platforms?
Sorry For Your Loss, which had critical success, is reportedly being shopped around to other platforms. Created by Kit Steinkellner and starring and executive produced by Olsen, the dark comedy explores the life of a young widow struggling to get her life back on track after her husband’s loss. Viewership had supposedly increased in Season 2 but was not enough for Facebook to continue investing.
While the platform still has a few scripted original shows in its upcoming repertoire, which will be released as planned, Facebook Watch is clearly retreating in the streaming wars by cutting down significantly on all efforts towards scripted development, similar to what YouTube did nearly a year ago.
According to Deadline, Facebook may be leaving the scripted business entirely amidst competition unless the right project were to procure itself, but its focus will now shift to unscripted titles where it’s had more success and better traction with Facebook users.
Facebook Watch has attracted its largest viewership with shows such as the Daytime Emmy-nominated Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith and Returning the Favor with Mike Rowe, which ultimately urged the platform’s latest decision. Recently, Facebook announced that it would be adding a Steve Harvey TV talk show billed as Steve on Watch.
While ad-supported social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube that are built on user-generated content have had plenty of their own successes, in the streaming world, they have proven more conducive to unscripted content.
Some of the scripted titles that Facebook Watch will still release the upcoming third season of The Real Bros of Simi Valley – premiering February 14 – and Season 2 of Blumhouse Television’s Sacred Lies, which will debut on February 20.
Facebook Watch also has an exclusive five-series deal with digital studio Crypt TV that they will have to see through. The studio was founded by Eli Roth and Jack Davis with support from Jason Blum. The first series under the contract, The Birch, debuted this past fall.
Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter — @Tweetskoor
