Social media users today consume more video content than ever before. And the vast majority of them are turning to social media channels in search of live video formats. Facebook Live, Periscope, YouTube Live, Twitter Live—all of these platforms support the live video format. While Google’s video-sharing platform, YouTube, went live in 2011, Facebook’s live product came to the scene relatively late, in April 2016. So let’s take a look at the essential stats on Facebook Live to see how it’s holding up in the live video arena.
Facebook Live Stats (Editor’s Choice)
- The Facebook Live video view count climbed to 2 billion viewers in 2018. (Facebook)
- In 2017, 1 out of every 5 Facebook videos was a live broadcast. (Make A Website Hub)
- In 2018, the number of Facebook Live broadcasts reached 3.5 billion. (Facebook)
- The daily watch time for Facebook Live broadcasts quadrupled in a single year. (Facebook)
- Facebook Live videos produce 6 times as many interactions as traditional videos. (Facebook)
- Facebook Live videos get 10 times more comments than regular videos. (Facebook)
- Facebook Live’s search popularity increased by 330% in just one year. (Adweek)
- Facebook Live users watch FB Live videos 3 times longer than pre-uploaded videos. (Facebook)
The Facebook Algorithm Change and Live FB Videos
The changes in Facebook’s 2018 News Feed algorithm focused on encouraging meaningful interactions, where comments, reactions, and shares get priority over passive actions such as clicking the Like button. One of the crucial new ranking signals is the type of content users post.
What does this have to do with Facebook Live? Well, Facebook’s live videos encourage the meaningful interactions the 2018 algorithm is all about. According to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, “We’ve seen people interact way more around live videos than regular ones.”
Social Media Streaming
1. 52% of those who stream live video do so through social media.
Before we explore more incredible Facebook Live stats, it’s important to keep one thing in mind: social media is the top destination for streaming live videos. This stat explains why Facebook Live and other players from the live video arena have such high adoption rates among users. More than half of the global video audience streams live videos from social media channels such as Facebook Live, Twitter Live, YouTube, and Twitch. Digital streaming subscriptions come second, followed by sites and apps from TV networks.
(EMarketer)
2. 25% of users watch live videos to stay informed.
With some of the most incredible Facebook Live facts and stats ahead of us, let’s go through the common reasons why people watch live videos. A quarter of users reported that live videos make them feel informed and up-to-date with the latest news and events. 20% of users tune in to live videos to feel like they’re part of an event, whereas 17% of users said that live videos add a note of authenticity to video content.
(Streaming Media)
3. 93.7% of businesses use Facebook.
One of the essential Facebook statistics to keep in mind is that Facebook is the primary social media channel for businesses. The 2018 “State of Social” report showed that 96% of companies use Facebook actively. This year, the numbers are a bit down, with 93.7% of businesses using it. Additionally, video is the most used content on social media, and the most popular platform for publishing video content is Facebook once again (81.2%).
(Buffer)
4. 42.7% of businesses broadcasted a live video in 2018.
The number of businesses that have adopted live video formats is on the rise. According to live streaming stats, 2018 recorded a 38% increase in live video usage among businesses. The percentage of companies that reported broadcasting live videos stood at 42.7%.
In contrast, a 2017 survey showed that over two-thirds of businesses didn’t create a live video during the year. Looking back even further, the percentage of those who’ve didn’t create a live video in 2016 was 73%. All of these figures indicate that more and more businesses are gradually incorporating live video into their marketing strategies.
(Buffer, Siteefy)
All About Facebook Live
5. In 2017, 1 out of every 5 Facebook videos was a live broadcast.
Facebook launched FB Live in 2016, and the Facebook community embraced the new video format quite well. How do we know this? Well, in just one year Facebook Live won over one-fifth of the network’s video viewership.
Based on Facebook Live numbers from 2017, Facebook Live videos accounted for 20% of all videos on the platform.
(Make A Website Hub)
6. In 2018, the number of Facebook Live broadcasts reached 3.5 billion.
Since its debut, Facebook Live broadcasts have doubled year over year, according to the newly appointed Head of the Facebook App, Fidji Simo. 3.5 billion broadcasts is a lot. That’s nearly half of the world’s global population.
Let’s assume Facebook Live users were publishing live videos every day for two years. That would mean they had to create approximately 4.7 million FB Live videos daily to reach the 3.5 billion mark. Regardless of how we put it, Facebook Live is used a lot.
Additionally, all the broadcasts between 2016 and 2018 saw an astounding number of reactions, i.e., 150 billion.
(Facebook)
7. The Facebook Live video view count climbed to 2 billion viewers in 2018.
Another interesting stat from Fidji Simo’s post was the view count behind FB Live broadcasts. As Simo pointed out, nearly 2 billion people watched FB Live between 2016 and 2018. It would have been interesting to know the number of Facebook Live daily active users. However, the post celebrating two years since FB Live’s launch provided us with a rough estimate of the FB Live DAUs. According to this, it looks like hundreds of millions of people are using Facebook Live each day.
(Facebook)
8. The daily watch time for Facebook Live broadcasts quadrupled in one year.
This is the kind of stat that helps demonstrate just how much Facebook Live video viewers have embraced this video format. Based on the increased use of live videos—along with traditional videos—we can say that just as content is king, live and pre-recorded video rule social media.
A survey from Livestream demonstrates the overwhelming dominance of live video formats in general. Again supporting the stats behind Facebook Live growth, users prefer live video when it comes to the different formats brands use to reach out to their target audience. 80% of survey respondents said they prefer live video to blogs, and 82% of them said they favor live videos over social posts. With these figures in mind, should we be surprised that the FB Live watch times have gone through the roof in the past few years?
(Facebook, Livestream)
9. How long should a Facebook Live video be? The top-performing Facebook Live videos are about 20 minutes long.
Buzz Sumo analyzed 100 million Facebook videos to provide you with an answer. The source discovered that the engagement rates of live videos on Facebook increased 15 minutes into the video. After videos passed the 15-minute mark, there were small fluctuations, but no significant shifts in user engagement. To get the most out of this video format, try to adjust their length to between 15 to 20 minutes.
(BuzzSumo)
Facebook Live vs. Traditional Videos
One of the common questions about Facebook’s live video format is the following: Is Facebook Live effective? The short answer is yes. A more detailed answer to this question is based on several statistics that illustrate how Facebook users interact with live videos on this social media platform. Without further ado, let’s take a look at those stats.
10. Facebook Live videos produce 6 times as many interactions as traditional videos.
Facebook Live videos show high interaction rates when compared to the interactions traditional videos produce. The explanation for these different levels of interaction is quite simple. Facebook Live viewers want to participate in live discussions and be part of the moments happening in real time.
Live videos come with the note of exclusivity too. Your audience gets the opportunity to watch something no one’s watched before, and the comments and reactions are a way to contribute to that unique experience.
(Facebook)
11. Facebook Live videos get 10 times more comments than regular videos.
According to Facebook Live usage data, live videos attract a high volume of comments—10 times greater than pre-recorded videos. When these viewers post a comment during a live video session, the chances that other users or the video author will reply to it are far better than when they comment on a video that’s been sitting around for months or even years. The opportunity to be part of a dynamic Facebook Live experience by sharing, commenting, and watching live content clearly appeals to a vast number of people.
(Facebook)
12. Facebook Live’s users spend 3 times as long watching live videos as they do the pre-uploaded ones.
Facebook users watch Facebook Live videos avidly. According to the stats about this video format, the average watch time is three times longer with live videos than with traditional videos.
Why is that? For one, there’s no option to fast-forward here. If we’re talking about a truly engaging live video, viewers are highly likely to follow the action until the very end. Apart from this, live videos are more often than not flooded with comments, and if you’re one of the users that sparked a conversation, you probably wouldn’t want to leave it after it had just only begun.
(Facebook)
Facebook Live Popularity
13. Facebook Live’s search popularity increased by 330% in just one year.
After Mark Zuckerberg announced that the option to go live on Facebook was available to everyone back in April 2016, the popularity of the search term “Facebook Livestream” skyrocketed. In 2015, the live feature was open to public figures only, but once everyone had a chance to broadcast live videos on the platform, FB Live became a hot topic. People wanted to learn everything about going live on the platform—from technical requirements to best practices.
(Adweek)
Facebook Live Usage Statistics
14. In 2018, 91% of businesses used Facebook Live.
We discovered that the vast majority of businesses broadcasted live video content on Facebook last year (91%). The second most popular platform for publishing live video formats was Instagram, while Periscope and YouTube were the last two on the list.
(Buffer)
15. One-third of video marketers have used Facebook Live throughout 2019.
A 2019 study revealed that 35% of video marketers are using Facebook Live. Compared to 2018’s results, this year recorded a one-point increase in Facebook Live’s usage among video marketers. However, according to the Facebook Live statistics we pulled from the study, some of the numbers could be better. There’s been a downward trend in the percentage of Facebook advertising professionals who successfully used Facebook Live as a marketing and sales channel, dropping from 81% to 74%.
Additionally, in 2018, 37% of video marketers said they planned on using Facebook Live, while in 2019, that percentage dropped by one point.
(Wyzowl)
16. Only 1% of companies share live videos daily.
According to Facebook Live stats, 2018 saw a mere 1% of businesses sharing FB Live video daily. The largest percentage of the companies surveyed, at 58%, described their live video sharing practices as infrequent. One-quarter of the study’s participants reported sharing live video monthly, whereas 12% of them said they shared this video format every week. Finally, 5% of companies shared FB Live videos several times a week.
If we look at the Facebook Live best practices, the social media platform recommends posting frequently. This, however, doesn’t mean that you should go live just for the sake of reaching a quota. Instead, you should be creative and, as Facebook suggests, use different live video formats such as Q&A, how-to videos, or videos broadcasted with a friend, among other options.
(Buffer)
17. 24% of businesses found live videos to be very effective.
When it comes to Facebook Live metrics, the social media giant does an amazing job at helping Page owners better understand how well their live video content performs. From the total number of views to average completion rates, all of this data is available within the Post Details section. Still, 29% of businesses aren’t sure how effective their live video strategy is.
On the other hand, the percentage of those who describe the impact of live videos on their business as very effective sits at 24%. And finally, 36% of businesses say that their live video marketing efforts have been somewhat effective.
(Buffer)
18. Facebook Live user statistics show that 76% of broadcasters stream live events on Facebook.
A survey from Wowza revealed that live events are the most common type of Facebook Live videos among broadcasters. The least-used type of FB Live videos are how-to videos, with 10% of broadcasters using this format. Conference panels and Q&A interviews are equally used by 23% of this platform’s users, and a somewhat smaller percentage of them uses FB Live for breaking news (20%).
(Wowza)
19. 70% of marketers use Facebook Live for reaching a new audience.
One of the common questions about FB Live is, Can you boost a Facebook Live video to reach more people? 70% of marketers already use this video format to reach a new audience, and 58% of them increased both their exposure and brand awareness with this format. The potential live video viewership on Facebook counts 2.9 billion users, so there’s a lot of room for expanding your audience on Facebook by using not only live videos but other types of FB posts too.
On top of it all, if you want to boost a FB Live video, you can do that too, providing your page has a blue verified badge.
(Wowza, Statista, Facebook)
20. For 90% of users, video quality is the most important aspect of FB Live.
One of the factors that negatively impacts the number of views on a Facebook Live video is the quality. 90% of users consider video quality one of its essential features. With that mind, make sure to configure your live video settings according to Facebook’s guidelines. The platform supports different resolutions, while the maximum resolution is 1080p at 30 frames per second.
(Ilfusion, Facebook)
21. In 2016, 17% of US adults watched live videos via Facebook Live.
2016 was the year Facebook streaming had the broadest live streaming video audience in the US, overtaking YouTube for the top position. 17% of users watched Facebook Live streaming videos, while YouTube’s audience decreased from 21% earlier that year to 16% by the end of it. On the other hand, the live video format from the social media giant recorded a three-point increase during the same period, rising from 14% to 17% of the US live video audience.
(Statista)
Facebook Native Videos
22. 92% of videos on Facebook are native Facebook videos.
Facebook users favor the platform’s native video formats. Native videos include Facebook Live videos, as well, which is why this stat found its place in our collection of Facebook Live statistics.
A study of 7.5 million Facebook posts showed that 92% of Facebook’s users were using the platform’s native video formats. Roughly one-quarter of the Facebook accounts studied used YouTube on this social media channel, and Vimeo video accounted for 1% of the videos used. Apart from these video types, 6% of accounts used various other video formats.
(Quintly)
Facebook Live Stats: 2019 Performance Benchmarks
23. Less than 1% of Facebook Live videos are in the top 10,000 FB posts.
A 2019 study analyzed the top 10,000 posts on the social media platform to see which formats performed best. Close to 40% of the top 10,000 Facebook posts were native videos, while roughly 47% of the posts were images, according to FB Live statistics from the study.
Facebook Live videos, on the other hand, didn’t take too much space among the top posts, accounting for only 0.74% of them. The only format that represented an even smaller share of the top 10,000 posts was embedded video (0.18%).
(NewsWhip)
24. Facebook Live videos have 101,362 engagements on average.
Videos that are live on FB rank third based on the number of engagements they receive on average. That number currently sits at 101,362. Traditional videos have the highest number of engagements—around 42% more than Facebook Live videos.
If we take a look at engagements on image-based posts, live videos on Facebook don’t fall too far behind. The engagement rate on these is only 12% higher than Facebook Live’s posts.
(NewsWhip)
25. FB Live videos receive 165% more comments than on-demand videos.
The Facebook Live video format receives the highest number of comments compared to other post formats on Facebook. Facebook Live video statistics show that live videos get 28,239 comments on average, while pre-recorded videos get over 60% less than that, i.e., 10,652 comments. Image posts rank lowest when it comes to the number of comments they typically receive (5,119).
(NewsWhip)
26. The average number of Facebook Live video shares is 11,314.
The only category where Facebook Live trails far behind other post types is the number of shares. Non-live videos, the top performing post type on Facebook overall, have over 54,000 shares on average. Meanwhile, according to the latest FB Live stats, Live Video gets only one-fifth of that with the average share count at 11,314.
(NewsWhip)
Facebook Watch
One of the things you might’ve noticed recently is that the FB Live Map is missing. This handy little tool was used for finding live broadcasts from all over the world. Each of the streams was represented with a blue dot, while streams that had a high view count had a larger dot. When you visit the Facebook Live Map page now, it redirects you to Facebook Watch, which is the network’s video streaming service.
27. Facebook Watch has over 400 million monthly active users.
Facebook Watch was launched in August 2017, and the service was available only to US users at the time. A year later, it became available to everyone. The social media platform announced at the end of 2018 that Facebook Watch had 400 million monthly active users, i.e., 400 million people who’ve spent one minute on Watch or longer.
(Facebook)
The Most-Viewed Facebook Live Videos
28. The Chewbacca Mom video has over 164 million views.
37-year-old Candace Payne won the internet over in 2016 after she purchased a Chewbacca mask and decided to live stream this event. What captured everyone’s hearts wasn’t just the fact that Candace put on a Chewbacca mask, but also her contagious laughter and the overall joy she expressed. This viral video had 50,000 views in just an hour, and within three days, that figure rose to 78 million views. Today, as one of Facebook Live’s most-watched videos, Chewbacca mom has more than 164 million views.
(BBC)
Next Stop for Facebook: Going Back to Its Roots
At this year’s F8 conference, Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that people need to have both public and private spaces in the digital world. The network’s approach is fully focused on users’ privacy and security, with Facebook Groups at the core of the FB experience. One of the Facebook Live trends we might see catching on relates to broadcasters who use the live video format in Buy and Sell groups. We could soon see buyers having the option to ask questions and place orders without leaving a broadcast.
Apart from this, Facebook also announced they would enable broadcasting live videos on the network’s video communication device, Portal. To stay informed about the latest Facebook Live tips and product updates, make sure to check Facebook’s blog regularly.
(Facebook)
Conclusion
We’ve come to the very end of our hand-picked Facebook Live stats. Some of the most important stats to keep in mind include, first of all, the rapid growth of FB Live broadcasts, which climbed to 3.5 billion last year. Secondly, the new video format from Facebook is used in various forms, ranging from Q&A interviews to how-to content.
Lastly, social media marketing specialists should keep in mind that live video isn’t going anywhere, and the future of social media will most likely be all about video content, both pre-recorded and live.
