*By Conor White* Now that Portugal has been eliminated from the FIFA World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo needs a new job, and Facebook could be stepping in. The company is reportedly in talks with the soccer superstar for a 13-episode reality show on its 'Watch' platform, but not everyone thinks it will work. "It's amazing to me that Facebook is willing to drop so much money on original programming," said Taylor Lorenz, staff writer at The Atlantic. "I think they're spending like $10 million reportedly on this. I don't think it'll bring people in." In an interview Friday on Cheddar, Lorenz noted that even if this series happens, Facebook needs to reassess its approach to 'Watch'. "To me, they're still trying to force this behavior of going there and treating it as a TV experience down users' throats." With over 120 million fans on the platform, Ronaldo is the single most followed athlete on Facebook, so it's safe to assume a show starring him would at least attract international viewers, but they may not have the capability to properly watch it. "One of the problems with international markets is they don't have the data streaming speed to watch these long shows," explained Lorenz. "Even my phone on my New York City WiFi can be buffering sometimes, I can't get through the whole show. So I think as they move into long form content, they really need to focus on the usability of it and making it work." For the full segment, [click here.](https://cheddar.com/videos/welcome-to-local-twitter)

Share:
More In Sports
DraftKings CEO Looks to West Virginia After Legalization of Sports Betting
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said West Virginia is the company's next, best opportunity for replicating the monster success it's seen in New Jersey as it rolls out a mobile sportsbook in the Mountain State. "West Virginia is an early mover and I think they're being smart and thoughtful about how they actually legislated and regulated," Robins told Cheddar Friday.
After Huge November, New Jersey on Track to Become New Sports Betting Mecca
New Jersey is on track to overtake Las Vegas as the new sports betting mecca, Darren Rovell, senior executive producer at The Action Network, told Cheddar in an interview Friday. With fewer than 7 months of sports betting on its books, New Jersey is expected to hit $1.2 billion to $1.3 billion in bets by the end of the year, Rovell said.
Load More