Why TV networks are now ‘sampling’ shows on Facebook

To date, the battle between YouTube and Facebook has centered on winning the hearts and minds of advertisers, online video publishers and creators. If the last few weeks are any indication, there’s another category of content creator YouTube should be concerned about losing some of its value to: TV networks.

On June 15, Amazon (along with Netflix and Hulu, a new breed of TV network) made the first episode of its comedy series “Catastrophe” available for free on Facebook. A week later, HBO did the same with two of its newest series, “Ballers” and “The Brink.”

On the surface, this might not seem like anything special. Online sampling of new programming is not new to TV networks, which are trying everything under the sun to reach audiences who are increasingly watching TV and other video content on digital platforms. What makes it interesting, though, is that YouTube used to be the only place on the Web that guaranteed the biggest video audience possible. Now, not so muchhttp://www.asi.eu.com/2015/07/08/why-tv-networks-are-now-sampling-shows-on-facebook/