Facebook Live cuts to a commercial break

Facebook Live is taking another step closer to becoming a legitimate, commercial broadcast channel with the news that they are experimenting with mid-roll video ads inside live video broadcasts.

Revenue from the 15 second ads, which will be eligible to appear five minutes into a broadcast, will be split between Facebook and the broadcaster in a similar deal currently enjoyed by content creators on YouTube.

It’s believed that the mid-roll advertising format is favoured over pre-roll advertising (widely seen on other online video channels such as YouTube) because Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerburg believes that ads played directly before a video ruin the viewing experience.

Depending on the nature of the broadcast, broadcasters will have the option to opt out of cutting to a commercial break. To date, Facebook Live’s content has been rather eclectic, ranging from light-hearted moments such as LadBible’s melting lolly challenge which was seen by more than 4 million viewers to more harrowing footage including the recent US police shootings and demonstrations.

The further commercialisation of Facebook Live demonstrates the social network’s commitment to live streaming and will be another blow to rival streaming services such as Twitter’s Periscope. Facebook Live currently has deals in place and pays a number of broadcasters and publishers, including Buzzfeed, Sky and Huffington Post to stream broadcast via the service.

How successful Facebook Live is in attracting quality journalism to the network remains to be seen. However, the aforementioned Ladbible broadcast along with other “uplifting moments” such as the “Chewbacca mom” video which was viewed by more than 160 million people, suggests that Facebook Live is already very comfortable with everyday distractions (clickbait). Quality news will only follow if the financial numbers add up for the industry.

Facebook Live’s promise of new streams of revenue will undoubtedly be attractive to big name broadcasters and publishers keen to tap into the social media giant’s vast reach but the news will do little to reassure smaller, regional or local publishers or those with more niche audience interests that live video presents a real opportunity for their businesses.