It was a big day for BuzzFeed in regards to its television pursuits with the premiere of its Netflix docuseries and the announcement of a new Twitter-based show focused on TV reviews.
On Thursday, BuzzFeed’s Follow This―a 20-part look into how the publication’s editorial team reports stories―became available for streaming on Netflix as one of the streaming service’s original programs. “We’re thrilled that Netflix saw the drama in the work of our journalism and the stories we tell,” BuzzFeed News Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith said earlier this year.
Also on Thursday, BuzzFeed and Twitter announced a TV-review show dubbed #What2Watch at the Edinburgh Television Festival, Variety reported. It will be a live, weekly 40-minute show reviewing the latest television series and interviewing talent. It will be produced in the U.K. and debut later this year, though no official release date has been set.
“Our audiences are really passionate people who love TV,” Dara Nasr, managing director of Twitter in the U.K, said. “And they’re not just loving watching it; they’re talking about it, engaging with other people who are talking about it… and having that moment of community… It’s the perfect show for us.”
“When you watch TV, you’re also on Twitter,” said Dionne Grant, BuzzFeed U.K.’s social media editor, who will host alongside BuzzFeed U.K. television editor Scott Bryan. Grant said the goal of #What2Watch is to help people “know what to watch and when to watch it… That’s what we’re trying to do: discover shows with you.”
The series will seek out advertisers, Nasr said, but they will not compromise the hosts’ editorial independence or opinions.
#What2Watch is not the first BuzzFeed series to come to Twitter―it follows the heels of #AM2DM, a live, morning show that breaks down the day’s news and popular moments on Twitter.
