A day after rival Twitter picked up Thursday night NFL streaming rights, Facebook is demonstrating its own focus on live video by adding several features to its “Facebook Live” service. The features, which allow select users to broadcast live to groups, demonstrate Facebook’s commitment to growing live video, and its execs say the company is in the process of developing a business model around live video that will help leagues, teams and athletes make money from it. "We intend, in the very near term, to implement a sustainable monetization solution and a business model so that rights holders and properties can establish a business in this new format,” Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships Dan Reed said last week in an interview conducted before yesterday’s Twitter-NFL announcement. Facebook rolled out its live video a few month ago, allowing select users to broadcast live, but giving all Facebook users access to watch. “We’ve gone from people typing things out to them taking photos to, now, lots and lots of video,” said Facebook VP/Product Management Will Cathcart. “Based on our early traction, we’re doing a lot more with live and making it a much more prominent part of the Facebook experience.” Facebook today is launching new live features, including filters and live audience reactions, such as the like button, that can be used throughout a live video. Live users can see comments made in real-time while watching a video replay, and they can invite friends to watch a specific video. Eventually, Facebook will replace the “messenger” button at the bottom of its app with a live video button. "One of the things with live that is most exciting for us is how interactive it is and social it is," Cathcart said. "People are joining Live and really commenting and discussing with the broadcaster and seeing if their friends are there."
