New | Facebook links up with news outlets for US Election Day live video blitz

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US independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin holds a "Facebook Live" event with his campaign staff as they ride in an RV between events in Ephriam, Utah. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:29am, 8 Nov 2016

Facebook said on Monday it would partner with 50 broadcast stations, print and online publications for an Election Day live video blitz, as the social media company aims to build on the momentum of its popular Facebook Live video streaming service.

The move comes as Facebook and rival sites like Twitter increasingly embrace live video to draw in users and boost traffic.

Facebook warned last week that revenue growth would slow this quarter because of “ad load,” or the number of ads that Facebook can put in front of customers without alienating them, offsetting strong earnings that handily beat Wall Street estimates.

Each outlet partnering with Facebook will publish a 15-minute live video centred on the presidential election in one of the 50 states. The content will be featured on Facebook’s “Election 2016” site on Tuesday and include the hashtag #50states.

Facebook's creator Mark Zuckerberg speaks on the opening day of the 2015 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. Photo: AFP

While Facebook is not selling ads on the Election Day livestreams, it could generate more visits to the site, bolstering its reputation as a destination for live news and pushing back against Twitter, where users often “live-tweet” major events.

Asked whether the Facebook Live initiative was a response to the popularity of “live-tweeting” events among social media users, Jason White, manager of US news media partnerships at Facebook, said Facebook Live was something that “works really well on our platform.”