CBS is bringing short-form content from “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden” to Facebook’s Watch.
Starting Thursday, fans can view short-form clips from Colbert’s “Late Show” on Facebook Watch at facebook.com/colbertlateshow. Content from James Corden’s “Late Late Show” will launch on Watch when the show returns on Monday, Jan. 8.
Facebook and CBS aren’t discussing the business terms of their partnership. CBS is not producing original content for Facebook Watch; rather, it’s distributing clips from the TV broadcasts on the social network as it currently does on platforms including YouTube.
For Facebook, the addition of CBS late-night content is another step forward in its bid to turn Watch into a video destination for episodic content — so that Facebook can serve up more video ads in professionally produced content.
Facebook launched Watch in the U.S. last August, seeded with some shows it paid to produce along with dozens of shows from partners. Ultimately, Facebook execs envision it as a platform for content creators of all shapes and sizes — akin to YouTube.
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On YouTube, content from late-night TV shows continues to be a major draw and regularly yields viral hits. In 2017, for example, one of the top-trending YouTube videos of the year was Ed Sheeran’s appearance on Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” segment from the CBS show. That’s pulled in more than 41 million views since it was posted last June.
