HBO launches 2 new shows on Facebook

HBO posted the first episodes of its two newest comedy series on Facebook on Thursday, turning the social networking site into a new platform for TV viewing.

"Ballers" and "The Brink" will be available on Facebook "for a limited time" for free, the pay television giant said in a statement.

The episodes can also be seen on HBO NOW and HBO GO, two streaming services that give the channel's fans an alternative to subscription cable options.

"Ballers" stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a retired American football superstar reinventing his life in Florida.

"The Brink" -- starring Jack Black and Tim Robbins -- is billed by HBO as an "epic dark comedy" with a plot that hinges on a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan.