Facebook gets aggressive with its livestreaming initiative. The social network has signed deals with media firms and celebrities for Live, its livestreaming platform.
Some of the companies they’ve signed include the likes of BuzzFeed, CNN, the New York Times, Vox Media, Tastemade, and Huffington Post. The highest value deals are with BuzzFeed at US$3.05 million, $3.03 million for the New York Times, and CNN at $2.5 million.
On the celebrity side, there’s comedian Kevin Hart, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, and wellness guru Deepak Chopra. Meanwhile, the value of individual contracts varies widely, with about 17 worth over $1 million.
Signing these deals are a way to get these companies and personalities to use the platform more ahead of having a more concrete plan on how to pay the creators.
“We wanted to invite a broad set of partners so we could get feedback from a variety of different organizations about what works and what doesn’t,” Justin Osofsky, Facebook’s vice president of global operations and media partnerships, said in a statement.
The platform is seen as a good way for brands to get more people to engage with them as Facebook fans get notifications when they go “Live.” And it also furthers Facebook’s push of keeping people within its ecosystem.
Source: WSJ
