*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
Major Leagues Turn to Instagram Whiz to Reach Sports Fans
Omar Raja, the founder of Bleacher Report's House of Highlights Instagram, said social media is "a young person's television," and that professional sports leagues have been reaching out to him to help them bolster the audience for live sports.
ClassPass CEO on the Company's New $85 Million Funding
Fitness platform ClassPass raised $85 million in new funding, bringing its total amount raised to $255 million. CEO Fritz Lanman breaks down his expansion plans and why Classpass wants to be your one-stop shop for both fitness and wellness.
How FIFA eWorld Cup is Globalizing eSports
Alex Betancourt, Sole North American competitor in the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup, sat down with MLS's Senior Director of Properties and Cheddar anchors to discuss the challenges facing eSports--and the potential for e-games to triumph as The Grand Finale looms.
Deloitte Analyst Urges Investors to Ride the eSports Wave
eSports are growing rapidly and fans are spending hours upon hours streaming their favorites. Pete Giorgio, Lead of U.S. Sports at Deloitte, explains the sudden growth in the industry and what more traditional leagues can learn from eSports.
Esports Deal with ESPN Boosts Overwatch Viewership
Nicole Carpenter, Reporter at Dot, claims the ESPN esports deal is responsible for the spike in Overwatch League viewership. Carpenter predicts on Cheddar the Philly Fusion will emerge the victor this Friday at the finals.
Load More