Facebook Inc (FB.O) unveiled new models of its Portal video chatting
devices during the week, making the company’s first foray into TV streaming
hardware but offering a limited selection of subscription services.
The launch comes as Facebook is trying to pivot toward more private forms
of communication, after years of slowing user growth, data-sharing scandals and
calls for change to its hands-off approach to content moderation.
The company is already one of the biggest global players in private
messaging, with its WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram apps used by 2.4 billion
people each month.
It is keeping the focus of its new Portal line on video calling, adding the
capability for WhatsApp calls along with improvements to a wide-angle camera
that keeps users in focus as they move about a room.
Facebook is also expanding Portal sales into countries including the UK,
France and Australia, while lowering prices to more closely compete with
industry-leading smart speakers from Amazon and Google that sell for under
$100.
Standard models of the Portal, which ship on Oct. 15, will come in 129 dollars
and 179 dollars versions.
Facebook is hoping the social nature of its products will be their selling
point, allowing users to watch shows together while interacting via video call
on the same screen.
But Portal TV offers only a few music apps and has limited options for TV
programming, meaning it could face a stiff challenge in attracting consumers
used to content-rich rivals like Apple TV, Netflix and Roku.
Facebook does not disclose how many Portals it has sold since the device’s
launch late last year, but hardware accounts for a tiny slice of the company’s
total sales.
