In this week's 'Skim: Facebook set to spend significantly more than thought on original shows, and hits a major new user milestone; YouTube's major announcements at VidCon, and all about its experimental app now open to all; Instagram's new test to make you share more; Reddit's big video announcement that's wooing marketers; why your brand can't just focus on paid social; and much more...

Skim to keep up with the latest!

1. Facebook ready to funnel up to $3 million per episode for original shows

In case you were wondering just how serious Facebook is about pitting itself against Netflix and Amazon, that $3 million figure should clear things up. The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook is ready to spend enormous sums per episode for its highest profile shows within its new original programming push.

Most signs indicate that Facebook will release its first original series toward the end of the summer; possible programs are a game show, a drama that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and a comedy that formerly aired on MTV but was canceled after just one season. We'll wait until the company makes things Facebook-official, though.

2. YouTube's 1.5 billion users, plus its big announcements from VidCon

One out of every five people in the world now logs onto YouTube and watches videos every month, on average spending more than one hour per day on the video and social network on mobile devices. This was among other announcements the Google-owned YouTube made at VidCon. Many of those announcements spell big changes:

• VR180: A new format will enable more creators to create virtual reality videos, even without technology to film in 360 degrees.
• Easy viewing: YouTube's mobile app will soon dynamically adapt to whatever format users want to watch in; vertical, square, or horizontal will all fill the screen seamlessly.
• Easy sharing: Users in the US will soon be able to share videos right within the app.
• YouTube TV + Red: YouTube TV will expand to 10 more American markets, and YouTube Red has greenlit 12 new original productions.

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