Facebook is set to launch its slate of fully-funded news shows next week, with several programs, including Anderson Cooper’s daily brief, debuting on July 16, the company announced on Wednesday.
CNN and Cooper’s “Full Circle” was part of Facebook’s initial rollout last month, which also included news shows from several outlets: Fox News, Univision, ABC News, Advance Local, ATTN: and Mic. Facebook has added new programs from Bloomberg, BuzzFeed News, NowThis, McClatchy, and TEGNA to its lineup to its lineup as well.
Bloomberg’s “At What Cost?” will be a weekly finance show airing each Wednesday, which will explain how the biggest stories in the business world will impact its viewers. BuzzFeed News’ “Profile” is hosted by NPR’s Audie Cornish, who will be interviewing “the biggest names” in politics, tech, business and entertainment, according to Facebook. The show will air each Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Facebook’s news initiative will be highlighted in its own tab in Facebook Watch, the platform’s original video section which launched last year. The shows, despite being paid for by Facebook, will have “full editorial control,” according to Campbell Brown, Facebook’s head of global news partnerships, in a blog post last month.
“Earlier this year we made a commitment to show news that is trustworthy, informative, and local on Facebook,” said Brown. “As a part of that commitment, we are creating a dedicated section within Watch for news shows produced exclusively for Facebook by news publishers. With this effort, we are testing a destination for high quality and timely news content on the platform.”
Facebook did not disclose how much it is paying to launch its slate of news shows, but a recent Digiday report pegged annual budgets for its daily shows between $5-10 million. For weekly shows — like “Undivided Attn:,” which will look at the biggest issues from the previous week — Facebook is willing to pay between $1-2 million, according to the report.
Facebook’s push into news comes ahead of the 2018 U.S. midterms — and two years after the platform was used by Russian trolls to push misinformation before the 2016 presidential election.
Beyond Bloomberg and BuzzFeed, here’s a look at the other new shows announced by Facebook on Wednesday, with descriptions from the company’s blog.
- ABC Owned Stations’ “More in Common” is a weekly series that will showcase the bridges being built between people of various races, religions, genders and backgrounds in cities and towns across America. The series is part of “Localish,” a national digital-first media brand that brings out the good in America’s cities, launching on ABC platforms this Fall.
- McClatchy’s “The War Within” chronicles the lives of retired veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, who are helping their brothers and sisters in arms cope with the myriad effects of war. Follow America’s next generation of leaders as they forge a path towards healing and positive change for veterans in local communities across the country.
- NowThis’ “NowThis Morning” is a daily news show which centers on breaking news and topical stories for young audiences. The show aims to spark conversations on the core issues that matter most to young adults today.
- TEGNA’s “An Imperfect Union” is a weekly series that will travel across the country and bring two people divided on an issue together to collaborate on a community service project, such as cleaning up a park or volunteering at a food bank. Each shares their perspective, as audiences watch to see what happens.