Facebook will now pay people to create Live videos
Some of your favorite celebrities will soon be coming directly to your Facebook timeline. Per a new deal between the social network and several content creators, including media companies and pop culture icons, Facebook will pay its partners to create content specifically for the burgeoning streaming interface of Facebook Live.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook has signed "nearly 140 contracts totaling more than $50 million," including with outlets like The New York Times, Vox Media, and Tastemade. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and chef Gordon Ramsey are among Facebook's celebrity creators.
Facebook launched its Live feature in April, and the company is still tinkering with ways to monetize the medium, given that it does not quite adhere to the traditional advertiser model. "We have an early beta program for a relatively small number [of] partners," said Justin Osofsky, Facebook's vice president of global operations and media partnerships, in a statement. "We wanted to invite a broad set of partners so we could get feedback from a variety of different organizations about what works and what doesn't."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Swiss bliss: Chenot Palace Weggis takes wellness to the next level
The Blend Heath retreat on Switzerland's Lake Lucerne offers a mid-winter reset
By Felix Bischof Published
-
Earth's mini-moon was the moon all along
Under the radar More lunar rocks are likely floating in space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 4, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Thailand
Speed Read The law grants same-sex spouses the same rights as married heterosexual couples
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Top Israeli general to resign over Oct. 7 failures
Speed Read Herzi Halevi took responsibility for his failure to prevent the attacks that sparked Israel's war in Gaza
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
80 dead in Colombia amid uptick in guerrilla fighting
Speed Read This was the country's deadliest wave of violence since the peace accords set by President Gustavo Petro in 2016
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal on track to start by Monday
Speed Read A deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages and begin a ceasefire was officially signed by representatives in Doha
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine captures first North Korean soldiers
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted videos of the men captured in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Lebanon selects president after 2-year impasse
Speed Read The country's parliament elected Gen. Joseph Aoun as its next leader
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US accuses Sudan rebels of genocide, sanctions chief
Speed Read Sudan has been engaged in a bloody civil war that erupted in 2023
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published