Facebook is apparently testing Snapchat-style branded selfie filters for Hollywood studios
Facebook is looking to open up a new revenue stream by letting brands sponsor augmented reality selfie lenses in the style of Snapchat.
Facebook is testing Snapchat-style branded selfie filters for Hollywood studios
Quoting sources familiar with the strategy, AdAge reported that the social network is in talks to let several Hollywood studios promote big-budget releases using the technology.
Media and ad executives claim the branded filters are poised to launch in March, and would initially be offered up to brands as an "unpaid experiment".
Facebook has allowed creators to personalise live broadcasts since last June via a digital paint palette and selection of filters, but the move to include sponsored overlays would mark a first for the platform.
Last year the social giant purchased facial mapping-based app Masquerade, with founder Mark Zuckerberg announcing it would bring topical and face-swap decals to Facebook's 1.6 billion-strong user base.
Facebook has yet to comment on the latest report, but Snapchat's own Sponsored Lenses format has been popular with movie makers including Twentieth Century Fox which it for its X-Men: Apocalypse campaign and Sony which unveiled a Ghostbusters push on the platform.
Facebook borrowed another idea from Snapchat last week when it revealed it was testing its own Stories feature at the top the news feed. The service is a replica of the Stories product launched by sister company Instagram in August last year, taking the form of an ephemeral content service which lets users share a chronological slideshow of videos and pictures with their friends.