It’s no secret that Facebook has been steadily mining reams of data from its users. Finally, we may be getting some clue as to how they plan to use—and monetize—that information.

A new Facebook feature for brands, available to “priority accounts” only, gives these brands the ability to see what TV shows, bands, and movies their fans like. This has broad reaching implications. Previously this data has never been made public. But if brands know what media their fans prefer, strategic partnerships can start to form, targeted media buys can start to happen, and brands win.

Priority accounts, one can only assume, are those brands that shell out the most money on pay per click ads and sponsored/promoted stories.

From AdWeek:

“Should Facebook ever decide to roll out the brand affinity tool publicly, brands will come running. Jeff Widman, who runs the Facebook analytics company PageLever, said the brand affinity tool would ‘definitely’ be a valuable feature for brands.”

Facebook is staying mum on the new feature, but expect to see the service grow if (and when) these preferred accounts start to capitalize.

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