What Happened
Following CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s remark last week about “planning to make livestreaming a priority at Facebook,” the company has started its push for the new Live Video feature, which enables users to broadcast themselves to their friends right from the Facebook app, in real time. The social network has tweaked its News Feed ranking algorithm to give Live Video posts a higher spot in the News Feed so that more people will see those livestreams. In addition, Facebook is reportedly offering celebrities up to six figures to use Live Video, as it looks to leverage star power to drum up interest in its Periscope competitor.
What Brands Need To Do
Facebook’s push for Live Video dovetails nicely with the company’s recent efforts in building out its video products and vying for video ad dollars. For brands, this presents a new channel to reach a mobile audience in real time with branded livestreams or sponsored live events. As livestreaming continues to evolve as an emerging media platform, we expect to see more brand opportunities and content formats arise.