Facebook.gg: New video game streaming service to rival Twitch
Facebook has launched its own video game streaming hub. Facebook.gg, which launched on Thursday, will compete directly with popular platforms like Twitch and Mixer.
It's part of the social media site's continued efforts to become a destination for video content. The new service suggests streams based on who individual users follow, and highlights content chosen by Facebook.
Instagram is targeting one of YouTube's weaknesses with plans for long-form video
Instagram is gunning for YouTube with a plan to allow longer-form video, according to the owner of an influencer network whose clients have talked with the Facebook-owned company, as well as numerous media reports.
Allowing long video could help Instagram court social media stars and their millions of fans to use its platform as their primary online home, instead of relying on YouTube, where many have fewer followers. And when the users move, so will the marketers, meaning Facebook stands to gain advertising revenue at Google-owned YouTube's expense.
[...] The news of the Facebook-owned platform embracing longer videos was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which said Instagram would soon allow users to upload videos up to 60 minutes to their profiles. TechCrunch added on Thursday that Instagram was talking to social media influencers and publishers to create shows for an upcoming section for dedicated-to-video content, similar to Snapchat Discover.
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With Instagram looming, YouTube is trying to keep its creators happy
YouTube is realizing it needs to treat its creators better, now that rival Instagram is making a play for them with its own video platform, IGTV.
The video service announced on Thursday three new ways for YouTubers to make money on its platform, during a presentation at the online video convention, VidCon, in Anaheim, California.
In the next few months, audiences will be able to support their favorite channels within YouTube by paying $4.99 per month to become a member of that channel's community and get access to exclusive posts, videos, live streams and other perks offered by the creator. The program, called Channel Memberships, will be available to channels with 100,000 subscribers or more that meet certain standards, like being eligible for ads and run by creators over the age of 18. The feature, previously called Sponsorships, launched last fall on YouTube Gaming to compete with rival streaming services Twitch, and will soon be made available on YouTube more broadly.
YouTube is also partnering with custom t-shirt company Teespring to allow creators to customize and sell merchandise directly through their channels, as of this week. Many YouTubers, large and small, already make and sell merchandise on their own for extra cash. Not to mention, hawk it incessantly in their videos.
Your video channel has been demonetized. Sorry about that :/
Previously: Facebook/Instagram vs. Twitch and YouTube
Without Facebook, Instagram Valued at $100 Billion
Did Facebook Inc. (FB) purchase Instagram for cheap? Recent valuations say so. A new estimate reveals that if Instagram were a standalone company, it would have been worth $100 billion today, according to the data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.
The photo-sharing service recently hit 1 billion monthly active users, and the steadily increasing user base is expected to shoot revenue past $10 billion over the next 12 months. While parent company Facebook is reportedly losing younger audiences, its loss has been a boon to Instagram and other social media services including Snap Inc.'s (SNAP) Snapchat, owing to features that better appeal to younger people. (See also: Aging Facebook Losing Teens: Pew Research Survey.)
While Facebook continues to grow and has surpassed the 2.2 billion user milestone, Instagram is gaining new users at a rapid pace and is on course to get 2 billion users on its platform over the next five years, the study suggests. During the past year, Instagram contributed 10.6% to revenues at Facebook, per eMarketer data, while over the next year it is expected to account for around 16% of the parent company's revenue. Instagram's future growth may be accelerated by the recently launched IGTV, an iOS- and Android-supported app-based video hosting and sharing service that will compete head-on with Alphabet Inc.'s (GOOGL) YouTube service.
Also at BGR, The Mercury News, and Business Insider.
Related: Facebook/Instagram vs. Twitch and YouTube
Ninja raked in nearly $10 million in 2018
Twitch superstar Tyler "Ninja" Blevins has finally settled the debate over just how much he earned in 2018. CNN reports that the gaming phenom pulled in close to $10 million last year, a little tidbit that he revealed to CNN during his press campaign on New Year's Eve in New York City. (He also tried to get the good people of Times Square to "floss." They weren't having it.)
Ninja has more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube, and 12.5 million followers on Twitch, 40,000 of whom are paid subscribers. Ninja told CNN that he thinks of himself as an entrepreneur, comparing his stream to a coffee shop. "They're gonna find another coffee shop if you're not there ... you have to be there all the time," he said to CNN.
And when he says "all the time," he means it. The streamer said he goes live for roughly 12 hours a day, which adds up to about 4,000 hours of gaming over the year.
Also at Fortune.
Previously: Tyler Blevins ("Ninja"): The First Gamer on the Cover of ESPN Magazine
Related: Facebook/Instagram vs. Twitch and YouTube
YouTube Announces "Channel Memberships" and Other Ways for Creators to Make Money
(Score: 0, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 11 2018, @12:28PM (6 children)
If there were ever a time the planet would benefit from a collision with a large asteroid...
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday June 11 2018, @01:27PM (1 child)
He had to start paying Twitter when he reached 20,000 followers. That was five or ten years ago.
He's an activist for the bisexual, polyamourous, progress political and computer communities.
Some of his followers follow _me_ now. To snarf some of his computer industry followers turned about to require nothing other than for me to follow them.
However one of my new followers tweeted "Hi [FIRSTNAME]! Pleased to meet you. Please follow me on Facebook too".
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 11 2018, @03:58PM
Social Media Influencers are the new Multi-Level Marketers.
If your friend is a Social Media Influencer, he is not your friend.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday June 11 2018, @04:32PM (3 children)
You think the economy, global warming, overpopulation, liberals, commies, conservatives, are a problem? Just think what would happen, if a large asteroid were to hit the earth. Most of those problems would be moot or much more limited in influence. I believe in God, but for Atheists extinction level events are a much bigger worry. The only way to help protect against a major extinction level event is to spread out to the stars. Otherwise, one cosmically tiny asteroid is all it would take to wipe out human life. Since, I do believe in God, that's not as much of a worry for me. I do think it's awesome to work towards putting people in Space, because I am curious as to what the other planets really look like, etc.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday June 11 2018, @05:16PM (2 children)
You think a god would intervene to redirect one cosmically tiny asteroid?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 11 2018, @10:49PM
No, he thinks god will save his "soul".
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Monday June 18 2018, @03:18PM
Think bigger, God won't allow a cosmically tiny asteroid to wipe out life on Earth. Unless, He wants it to. Which could be an option come Armageddon, but then He wouldn't need to cause a cosmically tiny asteroid to hit Earth. The Earth is the tiny portion of the Universe where sin took a hold. We are free to make our own choices and garner the consequences of them. He controls the entire Universe, but has given us the freedom to choose between Life or Death, Salvation or Damnation.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Monday June 11 2018, @01:24PM (2 children)
Start by sending Friend Requests to everyone you know. Allow some time for them to respond.
Then point out to them that there is far far more to the Internet than just Facebook.
A survey found that many people think Facebook and the Internet are the same thing.
I met my lady on Facebook. She only owns a smartphone, she doesn't have eMail and as far as I know Facebook and Facebook Messenger are the only third-party apps she has installed on her phone.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2, Informative) by realDonaldTrump on Monday June 11 2018, @01:38PM
It is not Presidential -- it’s MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 11 2018, @03:55PM
Sure. I read that 20 years ago, except it said 'AOL' instead of Facebook.
I'm old enough now to accept that if the world wants to disappear up its own ass, like an Escher drawing in the style of Bosch, then I am powerless to prevent it.
So I'll pass, thanks.