What Happened
Facebook continues to build out its live-streaming product as it debuts two new features. The social network launched a Continuous Live Video API, which enables persistent streams on Facebook for things like always-on nature feeds for bird-watchers. Previously, live broadcasts on Facebook were capped at 90 minutes. Moreover, Facebook also added a graphical timeline of user engagement in Live videos based on numbers of real-time Likes and comments, allowing users watching the replays to skip ahead to the interesting parts.
What Brands Need To Do
The new features should attract more users and content creators to Live Video, giving Facebook a considerable boost over other live-streaming platforms. Although Facebook’s Live Video does not currently carry ads, some early adopting brands such as GE have started using it to broadcast sponsored events or branded content. For brands wishing to connect with audiences in real time, Facebook’s massive reach and the relatively low production costs of live-streaming content make Facebook Live an appealing emerging platform to explore.
To read more on how brands can reach the fragmented audiences on streaming platforms, please check out the Appified TV section in our Outlook 2016.
Source: TechCrunch & The Verge