Facebook to stream Buffy, Firefly and Angel so you'll watch with friends
Facebook is cashing in on your Joss Whedon '90s nostalgia so you'll try its Watch Party social video tools.
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The 1998 cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. From left to right: Anthony Stewart Head, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Seth Green, Nicholas Brendon and Charisma Carpenter.
Well, Facebook did at least one nice thing for everyone this year.
Facebook is making every episode of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly available to stream from its Watch hub for video, the company said Friday, hoping your '90s nostalgia will entice you to try out social video tools like Watch Party.
It's also the first time Facebook has waded meaningfully into streaming legacy video titles. So far, Facebook Watch programming efforts have been commissioning new content from existing publishers like CNN or greenlighting shows like dramedy Queen America with Catherine Zeta-Jones, reality show Ball in the Family, or talk program Red Table Talk featuring Jada Pinkett Smith.
OK Firefly wasn't '90s but it was pretty close.
Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar announced the show's new streaming availability with a video on her Facebook page. Fidji Simo, Facebook's head of video, also touted it in a post, saying she was a huge fan of Buffy as a teen.
The company said Watch Party, a tool that lets people chat about a video while watching it at the same time on Facebook, would allow people to re-watch and discuss favorite moments from Buffy, Angel, and Firefly with friends or other fans in real time. Facebook planned three "special" Watch Parties on each show's Facebook Page over the weekend, starting with Buffy Friday, Angel Saturday and Firefly Sunday.
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