Facebook and Twitter are “eager to ramp up their capacity to deliver compelling live streaming video,” according to a New York Post report. The social media giants have each talked with TV programmers about striking deals to get the rights to stream their content.
Earlier this month, Facebook confirmed that it was one of the companies trying to acquire streaming rights to the NFL’s Thursday Night Football, which would be in line with the company’s stated attempts to grow Facebook Live, its live-streaming video feature.
“We believe that live video on Facebook is a different and complementary experience to conventional TV programming,” Facebook said in a statement to the New York Post on Friday. The company added that it’s working with a group of early beta partners for Facebook Live to find a “sustainable monetization model quickly.”
However, Facebook concluded by saying that it is “not focused on acquiring the rights to conventional TV programs.”
In its pitch to a TV programmer, Facebook mentioned the possibility of creating a skinny bundle of channels for its users, according to a person who heard the pitch, though the details on how Facebook would do this weren’t shared.
Twitter is touting their ability to bring TV networks younger audiences, according to sources.
“All of a sudden, Facebook and Twitter are trying to get in the tent with us,” a programmer told the New York Post. “They’re each arguing their attributes and why aligning with them is to our advantage.”
This shines the light on a larger issue for TV programmers — namely, how beneficial or unfavorable their distribution deals with Netflix have been. This explains why programmers want to know how Facebook and Twitter will enable them to earn money, according to the New York Post.
The biggest appeal of these propositions from Facebook and Twitter is about data. Hypothetically, TV programmers could strengthen their bargaining power if they had more specific data about their viewers, which Facebook and Twitter could provide. This would obviously be a boon for advertisers as well.
