Well, Facebook is officially in the online video game. We’ve been able to share videos natively to Facebook for a long time now, but it seems that was just the start. The social networking site is making a major push to further itself as a video distribution platform. It’s a smart move, really, considering the surge of online video as a form of content marketing. Simply put, Facebook’s plays are meant to not just drive video creation and consumption, but to keep us – the users – on Facebook longer. Here’s how they’re making that happen: The Facebook “Anthology” Network: This program is for brands using online video and Facebook for business. Anthology gives brands the chance to partner up with industry leading content creators like Vice, Funny or Die, Disney and more. Brands get custom video campaigns created by these network partners and the content creators work with Facebook’s “Creative Shop” to understand the science, insight and distribution of Facebook in order to meet campaign goals. According to this WSJ article, Facebook is seeking a minimum commitment of $2 million per campaign. Anthology is going to unleash a wave of fresh online video content that Facebook’s algorithms can then tie into the things with which users are most engaged. This is going to be huge for advertisers across the board. Increased Revenue Sharing: While Anthology may be over budget for many companies, Facebook’s recent revenue sharing announcement should encourage creators on all levels. Facebook is offering a 55/45 advertising revenue split on video ads, in which 55% will go to publishers and creators. For now, this revenue sharing is only available to some partners, but you can expect Facebook to roll this out to the masses in the near future as they grow their online video platform. This revenue sharing program will ultimately encourage creators to publish more video content to Facebook. Spherical Video Integration: 360-degree video is an emerging technology that’s posed to introduce a new immersive form of storytelling. In March, Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Facebook was testing a 24-camera setup that would allow viewers to move around within a video. (Woah.) He even hinted at plans to get spherical video working in the Facebook newsfeed. This type of video experience could be huge in travel, real estate, news and several other verticals. This, coupled with Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus Rift in 2014, is proof that Facebook is fully invested in the online video industry. If Facebook is a popular platform for your brand’s audience engagement, start experimenting by adding video natively to Facebook. Stay tuned for a future post on optimizing your videos for Facebook. For now, what are your thoughts on Facebook video? Share your thoughts in the comments and follow us on Twitter or Instagram for more online video news and tips.