Facebook To Stop Paying Publishers To Make Live Videos (recode.net)

Last year, publishers worldwide began making live videos on Facebook. The social juggernaut had cut deals with them, offering lofty amounts and promising big future moving forward. Turns out, Facebook's experimental project is over. Recode reports: Facebook spent more than $50 million last year paying publishers and celebrities to create live video on the social network. Now numerous publishers tell Recode that Facebook is de-emphasizing live video when it talks to them. And none of the publishers we've spoken with expect Facebook to renew the paid livestreaming deals it signed last spring to get live video off the ground. Instead, Facebook is pushing publishers to create longer, premium video content as part of a larger effort led by Facebook exec Ricky Van Veen. The hope is to get more high-quality video onto the platform and into your News Feed -- the kind of stuff, presumably, you might find on Netflix.

Comments

FB is not entertainment

[ripvlan]

It has long been proposed that TV and "social" could merge. There have been experiments with Twitter and TV shows (tune into the Show & Twitter and the director and main actors will be responding to tweets). Attempts to bring the viewers together and make the show more engrossing. Could FB be trying to merge the two on a single platform?

For awhile now I've just been speed scrolling through my feed - lots and lots of posts and nothing to watch (sounds like cable TV right?!) I figured I just wasn't the social type and peeked to stay in the know.

But I noticed my wife doing the same thing last night and putting her iPad down to read a book.

Maybe FB "see's" this and is concerned. Gotta keep eyeballs on the stream to feed the ad engine. The more I think about it - FB offers very little. A fun way to keep in touch with friends and family...yes. However I'm either tinkering with something, playing with the children, watching Netflix, or reading a book. Or doing Work!! Work!! Sorry boss just walked by.

Re:FB is not entertainment

[Anonymous Coward]

There have been experiments with Twitter and TV shows (tune into the Show & Twitter and the director and main actors will be responding to tweets).

So, a bit like "Twitch plays Pokemon"?

Re:FB is not entertainment

[swb]

I think the big error Facebook made early on was making it too easy to post links and to share other such posts. This diluted the content from "stupid shit my friends say and do" to "clickbait social media shares" with no original content from friends.

I see people on Facebook who seem to do nothing other than re-share web links and meme photos, with zero original content added. And there's a lot of it, which is why you end up speed-scrolling your news feed, because its all clickbait and a lot of it politics, too.

I also think that politics and the ease of re-sharing has been a REALLY toxic combination for Facebook. The amount of ZOMG Trump and strident political messaging makes the content even worse.

I was flat on my back sick for 3 days and was surprised how easy it was to blow past everything in my news feed when I finally checked it out again, I thought for sure there would be enough unique self-generated content to kill some time, but it was, again, just a lot of low quality noise.

The idea of Facebook as a long-form video source platform just seems ridiculous. It's not on any STBs and even if it was, the newsfeed doesn't make for a video selection user interface. Even Netflix struggles a little with content catalog presentation.

Re:FB is not entertainment

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem being, for tv shows to succeed, I believe we are talking about needing Millions of watchers to extract enough value to pay for everything associated with production. How do you have meaningful conversations and/or responses to even a small fraction of that viewership as some would expect that to be? Being able to get a word in edgewise in a group of 10 can be impossible at times.

Re:FB is not entertainment

[decipher_saint]

I think the big error Facebook made early on was making it too easy to post links and to share other such posts. This diluted the content from "stupid shit my friends say and do" to "clickbait social media shares" with no original content from friends.

I remember when I got started on Facebook, not a high volume of posts from people, still some semblance of decency. With alarming speed that started changing, people began putting every thought into words. On twitter if somebody is being an asshat you just unfollow, when it's a family member or a close friend it becomes awkward.

So for years I just kinda ... didn't GO to Facebook anymore. When I finally came back the feed is mostly dusty memes, dad jokes and links to things "of interest". I'm pretty sure this is FBs plan because it keeps people scrolling, reading stupid trash. Sure the crazy rantings are still there but it's really no different than Twitter or Tumblr now, just you may be related to or be close friends with some very troll-like entities.

The only place that seems focused and cordial is G+ but the population density there is so low I'm not surprised, not that I use G+, nobody does

Re:FB is not entertainment

[CaptainDork]

I see your point and agree with your observation and wish to expand it to include my experience along the same lines.

I'm an amateur photographer (I don't sell my photos) and have been since 2001. It happens that people enjoy the product of my work.

Facebook is an excellent venue for exposure (see what I did there).

I spend way more time in the field than I do on Facebook.

My wife is a "scanner," as well.

She has a Paper White and reads so prolifically it's amazing.

--

Facebook's drive to monetize is not surprising, but their business model, for me, is just eye clutter.

Re:FB is not entertainment

[CaptainDork]

This, so much.

When I post, I don't us meme very much. I don't like it when people use their minds to mouse-click "Share" on a picture without attaching, " ... and this brings to mind an experience I had ..."

The fucking meme-share is so uninformative, usually, wrong, and never original.

When I post on Facebook, it's original material, often with citation, and, while I expand, I don't write a fucking book.

The subjects are in my wheelhouse.

Meme-jamming is useless as tits on a bore (see what I did there).

Re:FB is not entertainment

[geekmux]

...The more I think about it - FB offers very little...

...which is exactly why Facebook is in fact entertainment.

Social media is nothing more than entertainment, since it's often nothing more than constant streams of mindless junk. It is not a source of income other than for a lucky few who have managed to carve a temporary niche. It does not provide valid news content other than maybe re-broadcasting weather forecasts. It often is a source of many social problems as it shamelessly promotes internet addiction, complete with a #FOMO tag.

Keeping in touch with close friends and family? I recommend a video call. Perhaps even a hand-written letter. Much more personable, and tends to convey real social interaction with loved ones without the air of narcissism.

Re: FB is not entertainment

[Anonymous Coward]

I can spend two weeks shooting,editing and animating a little video and no one cares. But repost a cat picture and the you get the likes.

Re:FB is not entertainment

[Anonymous Coward]

A twitch streamer with a few thousand viewers can still make the experience seem interactive for everyone who wants to participate. I think an important part is enabling the audience to interact with each other, so everyone feels engaged even when the streamer himself isn't talking directly to them. Twitter itself may or may not be adequate for that; to me the 'chat room' experience seems more lively and immediate. For millions of viewers this wouldn't work of course, but twitch streamers also have other ways to generate revenue (donations etc.), so maybe you don't really need that much.

One speed bump is that most celebrities and actors are basically trained monkeys who perform for cameras and not really very engaging personalities on their own. We'd need a whole new class of "celebrities".

High quality videos? Isn't that what YT is for?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't really know people who go to Facebook for high quality videos. That is what YouTube is for because with a subscription, one can download and watch offline content, or stream at a decent rate. What I tend to see on Facebook is either someone wandering around their place cooking or sorting socks while having a stream of consciousness talk, someone yapping politics, or someone trying to make AR-15 parts from household garbage. None of this is really high quality.

Coming to Facebook for high quality videos is like hitting the local dive bar to ask people about the finer points of Greek philosophy, as opposed to just going to a library.

"create longer, premium video content"

[Anonymous Coward]

That you'll get paid crap for. Also, did you see the fine print. We own your content now, thanks.

Re:"create longer, premium video content"

[Anonymous Coward]

People who post on FB should be paid. The company earns a profit from your comments.

Re: My....

[Anonymous Coward]

So to sum it all up, is there a rule of thumb we can follow to tell which Jew is anti-white bad and which Jew is not so bad?

Here's your rule: kill them all and let god sort them out.

Largely Invisible Outside of Facebook

[Kunedog]

As someone who doesn't use Facebook, the only time I hear of Facebook Live video is when someone happens to livestream their suicide, fatal car accident, or racist kidnap and torture of a white kid.

Re:Largely Invisible Outside of Facebook

[Anonymous Coward]

I've heard about people stealing YouTube videos and reposting them on Facebook for profit. It's called "Freebooting".

How to block all video?

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate seeing videos in my feed. Any way to block them all?

Re:How to block all video?

[Anonymous Coward]

F.B. Purity is a browser plug in that lets you control content on Facebook. Hides stupid functions, can force most recent rather than most popular on top etc... Search for it.

Re:How to block all video?

[CaptainDork]

You can prevent them from auto-playing. That way they are just pictures along with every other goddam useless meme.

Google it for your particular platform.

Re:How to block all video?

[nitehawk214]

fbpurity.com Facebook is useless without it.

Re:How to block all video?

[Anonymous Coward]

Looks pretty interesting and promising. Thanks!

Re:High quality videos? Isn't that what YT is for?

[nitehawk214]

Shit, even youtube emphasizes content creators making shitty videos every day instead of one great one every month.

What is 'live video'?

[fredrated]

Isn't 'video' short for 'video cassette' or 'video cassette recording'?
So what exactly is 'live video'?
Related question: Is my age showing?

Re:What is 'live video'?

[Dusthead Jr.]

The word video didn't derive from video cassette any more that audio came from audio cassette.

Re:What is 'live video'?

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Isn't 'video' short for 'video cassette' or 'video cassette recording'?

No, "video" isn't short for 'video cassette' or 'video cassette recording'. In case you didn't realize it, originally, ALL video was live, there were actually no methods to record it. That didn't come until later.

-

So what exactly is 'live video'?

Video that is broadcast as it happens and that is not pre-recorded.

-

Related question: Is my age showing?

If you mean "Am I too young to understand the origins of video technology?", then yes, you are showing your "age".

Facebook

[Archfeld]

Signs the even FB is tired of the vapid crap that appears on social sites as video ?

Surprise

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Surprise! As it turns out, no one wants to watch a live show of you and your nerdy pop-culture pals discussing the finer points of Dr Who's cape or any of that other ridiculous minutiae that you think is so incredibly fascinating.

Re:High quality videos? Isn't that what YT is for?

[Guybrush_T]

And Facebook steal the videos and don't even give back to creators. Both suck, which is a real shame given the quality of the content on YT.

NO MORE live vids?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well we'll always have fake news, then.