Facebook's TV shows rumored to debut in mid-August

Last month we heard that Facebook's next project involves investing in the production of original video shows. And today a new report says we should expect to see the first episodes coming out in mid-August.

The social network has allegedly commissioned two types of content - short-form, inexpensive "spotlight shows", as well as higher-end TV-style shows with running times close to what you'd expect from cable TV productions. The former are what's coming next month, while for the latter we're going to have to wait some more.

According to "people familiar with the matter", Facebook wanted to have this project up and running a month ago, but it is taking longer than anticipated. Further delays are possible too. The shows will be displayed in a new section on Facebook, and not in the News Feed. A mix of scripted and user-generated content will live there. The company's aim is apparently to "make something higher-end than Google's YouTube", although it doesn't intend to compete with the likes of Netflix, HBO, and Showtime.

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