Facebook plans to stop paying publishers and other content creators to produce live and on-demand videos, Digiday reports.

Under the current program, Facebook pays about 300 publishers, influencers, celebrities, and content creators given they produce a minimum number of minutes per month; live videos must be at least six minutes long, and on-demand videos at least 90 seconds long. Most of the deals Facebook has with publishers will expire by the end of the year or in early 2018.

The move to cut publisher funding for live and short on-demand videos points to Facebook's commitment to Watch. The company is now primarily focused on allocating bigger budgets to a fewer number of longer shows on Watch, according to Digiday.

This strategy could increase Facebook's chances of curating a library of "lean back," TV-like shows, ultimately shifting the way consumers view content on the platform. As a result, Facebook could ultimately better monetize mid-roll ads, which only play after 20 seconds of viewing. By establishing a viewer base that seeks TV-like content, Facebook could also become well positioned to attract US TV ad spend that's being shifted to digital platforms.