Facebook Unlocks Livestream Marketing Stunts From Verified Pages

Here comes real-time video marketing. Today Facebook gave all Verified Pages the ability to broadcast on its Periscope-style Live feature. Sports teams, TV shows, bands, and brands can now start a Live feed, take comments from viewers, and the video will be saved for replays after the stream finished.

Facebook originally launched Live for celebrities in August, before opening it for Verified Profiles, and eventually all users.


The only group without the feature is now unverified Pages. That could protect users from low-quality content. Similarly, Facebook isn’t notifying every fan about s Pages streams.

Facebook’s play here is using the massive audiences these Pages have already built to attract compelling video content. If it can prove its streams do more for broadcasters than Periscope’s, it could get celebrity interviews, breaking news, and crazy publicity tricks pumped into its network.

Not only does this give Facebook more clips to run lucrative video ads beside. It makes Facebook something people check more often to get up-to-the-minute content, aiding its ongoing battle with Twitter.

Here are some examples of recent Live streams from Verified Pages:

Star Wars Movies world premiere live from the red carpet

AJ+ live with protesters at the Paris Climate Talks

MLB on FOX going live during Game 6 of the World Series

U2 taking fans backstage before a concert

The Wall Street Journal live from the U.S. Republican debates