Facebook launched their live video feature in 2016. Since then, it has made a huge impact on users around the world. Facebook Live enables us to stream our everyday lives, exciting events, or follow our favorite users’ stories as they take place.
Techjury has prepared some Facebook Live stats to show you how it works and why it is important to users and marketers.
Remarkable Facebook Live Stats
- Rather than read social posts, 82% of people prefer a live video from a brand.
- 45% of live video viewers are willing to pay for exclusive live video content.
- Facebook Live got 330% more searches only for 1 year.
- According to YouTube, mobile video viewing rises by 100% year-to-year.
- Having a video in an email increases the click-through rate up to 300%.
- 90% of all users find video useful when deciding to purchase a product.
- US adults spend around six hours a day watching video.
- 75% of video marketers use Facebook to post video content.
- 70% of video marketers will use Facebook for their marketing strategies in 2022.
We’ve laid the groundwork, now let’s get to some more detailed Facebook statistics, starting with the latest data.
Facebook is the most popular platform for business video according to Facebook live stats in 2022. Despite the fact that live video only makes a small percentage of total videos at the minute, this is expected to grow. Here’s more:
1. It was expected that Facebook would become only video and no text by the end of 2021.
(Source: QUARTZ, EarthWeb)
This is a claim made by Nicola Mendelsohn who manages Facebook operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. While Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, confirms that video will play an ever-important role for Facebook, Mendelsohn thinks it could be consumed by it, replacing text altogether. However, these predictions weren’t accurate. Even though there are more than 8 billion video views daily on Facebook, the videos didn’t replace the text posts.
2. Rather than read social posts, 82% of people prefer a live video from a brand.
(Source: Entrepreneur)
Most people don’t like having to read posts on social media, opting for watching a live video instead. This is clearly visible in Facebook live statistics in 2022. This is good for brands selling items or services, because…
3. Rather than read a blog post, 80% of people prefer to watch a live stream.
(Source: Hootsuite)
Okay, this stat may make you think that blogs are dead. However, blogging statistics prove otherwise. We thought if we were going to compare social posts with live video, then it’s only fair to compare with blogging as well. 80% of us would prefer to watch a live video than have to read through a blog. This could be because watching a video is easier, or that people are so used to all the ‘on demand’ and instant services out there.
4. 75% of video marketers used Facebook to post video content in 2021.
(Source: Biteable)
Facebook is the top marketer’s choice when it comes to posting video content. Facebook is more popular than Instagram (58%) and YouTube (70%).
5. Live video will account for 17% of the total internet video traffic share by 2022.
(Source: Oberlo)
The study, according to Cisco, indicates that traffic to live internet video is expected to rise 15 times between 2017 and 2022. This means it will account for 17% of the total internet video traffic share. This isn’t really a surprise considering these Facebook Live stats and the growth of Instagram Stories.
6. Live video only makes up 12% of all published videos.
(Source: Social Insider)
In contrast, pre-recorded videos make up 87.2% of all published videos, which is what Facebook live video stats tell us. The reason for this is believed to be that editing a video is much safer than pushing out one which is live and cannot be edited. Nevertheless…
7. Live video attracts the most comments – 28.239 last year alone.
(Source: News Whip)
Although live video tends to attract the least engagements or shares amongst these categories, it is the clear winner in terms of the number of comments it attracts. Native video won second place, although this with less than half the comments – 10,652.
8. If you want to increase engagement even more, simply make your video over 1 hour long.
(Source: Social Insider)
Doing this alone can improve your engagement rate from 0.19% to 0.86%, as dictated by recent Facebook live engagement stats. It’s also been shown that live videos are able to retain people over a longer period.
9. Between February and March 2020, Facebook live views have increased by 50% in the US.
(Source: C-Net)
This has led to Facebook making new efforts to make live videos as accessible as possible. Despite Facebook live stats not revealing the exact increase in views of live video, the number has been described as ‘significant’.
10. Facebook is the top choice for 70% of video marketers for their strategies in 2022.
(Source: Blogging Wizard)
According to Facebook live stats, this number decreased by 6% compared to the previous year’s statistics. Facebook isn’t the only platform that saw a decrease in usage among video marketers. 58% of video marketers plan to use Instagram (down by 7%), 63% plan to use LinkedIn (down by 3%), and 31% will use Twitter (down by 7%). The only platform that saw an increase in usage by video marketers is TikTok.
11. Facebook Live videos have higher engagement than regular videos.
(Source: Hootsuite)
On average, a Facebook Live video attracts six times more engagement than a regular video. That’s because people get the chance to ask questions and leave comments, hence raising the level of interaction.
General Facebook Live Statistics
Starting our dive with some impressive numbers about Facebook Live.
12. 93% of social media marketers use Facebook’s paid ads.
(Source: Dialogtech)
Facebook user statistics show that nearly 95% of marketers that use social media are going for paid ads. The second most popular site with advertisers is Instagram, with 73%. Snapchat is the least favorite with 1%.
13. In 2019, 3000 years of watch time were viewed on Facebook every day.
(Source: TechCrunch)
The number doubled in just seven months. For comparison, in November 2015, Facebook reached 8 billion video views daily. To put this in perspective, those stats amount to 760 years of view time every day.
Back in January 2016, a total of 500 million users were watching Facebook videos every day. A little more than half of Facebook pages have produced all videos. According to Facebook Live stats for 2018, 47% of all pages were yet to upload any video content. Another 33% had just one video in total.
Only 4% uploaded more than 30 videos in 2018. To sum up, there is still a big piece of the pie for the taking.
14. Users watched 100 million hours of video daily on Facebook in 2016.
(Source: TechCrunch)
The total number of Facebook users back then was 1.74 billion. That is roughly three and a half minutes per user. No matter how you slice it these Facebook metrics are pretty crazy.
The share of videos, featured on Facebook Live, is growing larger. Users now upload 1 in every 5 videos as a Facebook Live first. This trend is only expected to continue.
15. There have been over 3.5 billion Facebook live broadcasts by April 2018.
(Source: Engadget)
In just two years, Facebook Live generated an immense amount of video traffic. The average daily stats doubled year-over-year again in 2018. Facebook claims almost 2 billion users have watched at least one live broadcast. In addition, verified pages increased their video broadcasts by 50% in 2017.
Nonetheless, Facebook Live’s success comes with a price. There have been at least 50 Facebook live videos showing violence on the platform so far. Facebook failed to bring down at least some of them, leaving them available for viewing even hours after their broadcast.
Facebook is now hiring new human moderators to ensure each live video is safe to watch. It also continues to enhance its AI-driven tools with the same goal in mind.
16. Facebook Live streaming sessions have gone up by 330%.
(Source: Dacast)
Facebook has continued to generate a massive amount of traffic over the years. 2018 saw a 50% increase in the number of people tuning in to watch. In 2021, that figure is almost seven times what it was back then.
Sincerely speaking, Facebook has come a long way since its days of allowing violent videos to stream for hours before removal. Now, the company has updated its community standards to ensure that its users shouldn’t post disturbing images.
17. 200 million small businesses around the globe use Facebook tools.
(Source: Oberlo)
That number has more than doubled since 2019, according to Facebook usage Statistics. The most popular tool is Pages because it allows companies to share contact details. It also lets them post product descriptions or general information to keep their clients engaged.
18. Facebook Live viewership went up by 50% in the spring of 2020.
(Source: Facebook)
According to Facebook Live stats, sessions went up by 50% during 2020’s spring. That shows that despite the social distance measures in most countries, people still found ways to connect.
Some activities that pushed the number up were online classes, fitness sessions, connecting with celebrities, or communicating with friends and family.
Facebook Live Financial Stats
Let’s take a look at how all these viewing hours translate into monetary terms.
19. Facebook paid $50 million to celebrities and media companies to use Facebook Live.
(Source: Fortune)
At the dawn of Facebook Live, the social media giant paid $50 million through 140 different contracts.
Facebook statistics show CNN, New York Times, Mashable, Vox, and BuzzFeed were among the most popular in the list. BuzzFeed and NY Times both received $3 million to promote live video content, while CNN got $2.5 million for the job.
20. Facebook additionally paid $2.2 million to influencers around the world to promote Live.
(Source: Tube Filter)
24 YouTube video creators, Vine popular users, and a bunch of other influencers worked with Facebook on expanding Live’s reach. They streamed regularly for five and a half months, making the feature more popular than ever. More and more users were discovering how to watch Facebook Live and why it was so interesting.
The highest-paid influencer was Ray William Johnson – $224,000. Second was Brent Rivera with $213,333, and third came Logan Paul – $210,667. Still, you won’t believe how much companies pay for influencer marketing.
21. 84% of video marketers attract more leads.
(Source: Hubspot)
Not only do videos help consumers understand products better, but they also attract potential buyers. The number of leads for businesses using this mode of advertising has gone up by 1%, compared to 2020.
22. US advertisers will spend $58.11 billion on Facebook advertising in 2022.
(Source: Insider Intelligence)
According to Insider Intelligence, with a 15.5% increase from the previous year, US advertisers will spend $58.11 billion on Facebook ads in 2022. Spending growth is expected to slow down in 2023 by 12.2% due to Apple’s privacy changes.
23. 26% of video marketers will include Facebook Live in their marketing in 2022.
(Source: Wyzowl)
Nearly 30% of marketers want to use Facebook Live in their video marketing approaches. That’s about 2% less adoption compared to 2021.
24. Mercedes-Benz had the most videos streamed on Facebook Live in June 2016.
(Source: Prestosports)
In the very beginning of the live video service, the majority of live videos were coming from outside the US. Facebook Live stats show the German automotive company had streamed 38 live videos back then.
25. Marketers are increasing their video budget by 5% or more in 2022.
(Source: MarTech)
As there is a growing appetite for video content, 55% of brands stated that they plan to increase their video budget by 5% or more.
Live vs Non-Live Videos
The biggest debate in video content presentation deserves a thorough inspection.
26. The average watch time on Facebook Live in 2017 was 34.5 minutes a day.
(Source: Telescope)
To put this into perspective, traditionally-recorded videos only got 2.6 minutes of daily viewing time. In addition, the engagement rate of live video stood at 4.3%, while non-live content was at 2.2%.
27. In 2016, videos on Facebook Live got 10 times more comments than their more traditional siblings.
(Source: Wired)
Things like streaming for specific audiences and quick reactions got Facebook Live a strong start back in 2016. Facebook Live analytics show live videos on the platform got commented 1000% more often than regular ones.
28. Facebook Live generates more engagement than regular videos.
(Source: Biteable)
In 2022, Biteable decided to do an experiment on whether Facebook live broadcasts will outperform regular videos.
It posted five videos on its Facebook page and hosted five live broadcasts. It tracked three-second video views, reach, and total engagements.
Its Facebook Live videos performed better in every respect. They had 1,079 three-second views, 2,586 people reach, and an average of 94 engagements.
Meanwhile, regular Facebook videos averaged 1,346 reaches and six engagements. They reached a total of only 1,414 engagements for all the videos combined.
29. In 2022, Facebook Live content will be watched six times more than non-live videos.
(Source: EarthWeb)
Streaming’s sole idea is to follow the action in real time. This is why Facebook Live streams generate more engagement than videos that are no longer live.
30. In June 2017, Facebook Live managed to surpass regular video posts in terms of promotional rate.
(Source: Wowza)
Facebook Live’s promotion rate rose to 78%. It beat non-live videos, where that figure stood at 72%. 40% of regular video views came from sharing the original post.
On another note, only 4% of live broadcasts were posted in closed groups. However, this amount is 20% of all groups’ time on the platform.
31. Facebook usage statistics show Live was the most used live video platform in 2020.
(Source: Restream)
Facebook Live earned the first spot in the live video race views, growing by 239% from March to May 2020. Twitter was the winner in the most hours watched category with a 267% increase within the same period. YouTube came in third for most views with a 14% increase, and most hours watched with a 111% increase from March to May 2020.
Facebook Live Developments
In its relatively short lifespan until now, Facebook Live has already managed to acquire a few neat upgrades.
32. Facebook Live stream waiting rooms became live in October 2018.
(Source: TechCrunch)
Before live video scheduling, Facebook Live probably seemed a bit chaotic. With the additions of calendars, broadcast sharing, and the pre-stream lobby, things finally started to make sense. Users could follow upcoming streams and get notifications some time before they start.
33. Facebook Live added augmented reality filters to the service in 2016.
(Source: Fortune)
In similarity with Snapchat’s live masks, Facebook Live enabled users to use special effects during broadcasts. They hoped to raise Facebook live video interest and it seems like it worked.
34. Live streaming with a friend became available in May 2017.
(Source: Facebook Newsroom)
The purpose of real-time broadcasting is maximum interactivity. Or at least Facebook perceives it that way.
In 2017, they enabled Facebook Live with an invite option. Any user could ask a friend to broadcast with them. This was definitely an important step for development as it added another way to boost viewership.
Fun and Interesting Facts
As usual, time to chill with some unorthodox Facebook Live video stats.
35. 85% of Facebook users prefer watching videos with the sound off.
(Source: Digiday UK)
Users can prefer to view in silence for a variety of reasons. Be it not to disturb the ones around them or to concentrate on the visual aspect of it, a whopping percentage of users choose to only watch a video.
36. The most-watched video on Facebook Live is called “Chewbacca Mom.”
(Source: Facebook)
The video was posted on May 19th, 2016, by user Candace Payne. So far, in 2022, it has had 1.81 million views. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t watched it yet.
37. September 15th, 2015 is a special date for Facebook Live stats enthusiasts.
(Source: Clickz)
The first-ever live Facebook video was hosted by Mark Zuckerberg himself as he introduced the feature to the audience. He showed viewers around the Facebook headquarters, spoke of future Facebook plans and, all in all, he didn’t look like a robot.
Conclusion
Facebook Live is bathing in the attention of the public. It continues to enjoy impressive growth, regular innovations, and improved video quality. The streaming platform enables countless possibilities for both users and marketers — be it for entertainment or business, live videos are the new king of engagement.
For fun, for profit, or for social influence — this feature carries immense potential. Well, I hope you can use these Facebook Live stats to enhance your online presence. Stream you later!
Sources
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Muninder Adavelli is a core team member and Digital Growth Strategist at Techjury. With a strong background in marketing and a deep understanding of technology's role in digital marketing, he brings immense value to the TechJury team.