Gone are the days when evening news reporters had the exclusive power to broadcast live from a given stage. Now, thanks to the rise of countless platforms - including Facebook Live, Persicope, YouTube and Snapchat, of course, but also the likes of Twitch, Blab, YouNow, Ustream, Kamcord and Busker, to name a few. To name a few - marketers and consumers alike are spoiled for choice when it comes to shooting live video from their own scenes. So the race is on between tech companies to establish their dominance, as well as between brands to experiment to see which platform resonates most with their audience and therefore provides the most value.
For now, video marketing experts agree that Facebook Live is the favorite, but, unsurprisingly, they acknowledge that Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat are also viable contenders. And, of course, the odds could change if, for example, an Apple, an Amazon remove background from image or a Microsoft decided to play with one of the aforementioned start-ups. Here's a look at how Facebook is asserting its dominance in live streaming, as well as how other players are fighting back - and what that means for brands and marketers. Why Facebook is the 800-pound gorilla of live streaming | SEJ Advertising Continue reading below 'Everyone and their mum is literally on Facebook' Arguably Facebook's biggest advantage is its nearly 1.7 billion monthly active users.
Or, as Luke Watson, platform expert at live-streaming network Roker Media, put it, Facebook is in the best position to dominate "because they're Facebook and literally everyone and their mothers are on Facebook". Additionally, Brian Shin, CEO of video performance analytics company Visible Measures, said satisfying conceit is a big part of live content, implying the need for large audiences "what if you don't don't have a great distro, your platform will eventually fail. " Advertising Continue reading below But if Facebook doesn't need to recruit users, it needs to solicit content, which is why it would pay $50 million to brands and celebrities like CNN, Vox Media, Mashable and Gordon Ramsay to create said content. "So it's not about Facebook looking for people to create the best content, it's more about volume and reach," Watson said. “That's their approach. And I think it works.