Facebook and YouTube Neck-and-Neck in Live Stream Battle

#Live #video #streaming is a regular activity for half of #online consumers in the United States, with breaking news the most popular category.

The battle for video live streaming dominance is on, and so far neither #Facebook nor #YouTube has the lead. According to fresh data from research consultancy Magid, almost half of all online consumers in the U.S. watch a live stream every week, with 48 percent watching live on #Facebook and 44 percent watching live on #YouTube. Trailing those two are #Instagram (28 percent), T#witter (19 percent), and #Snapchat (17 percent).

The most popular category for live video is #breaking #news, followed by videos from friends or family, then how-to videos.

Breaking down live views, Magid finds 12 percent watch live video several times per day, 11 percent watch once per day, 17 percent watch several times per week, and 8 percent watch one per week. Also, 28 percent never watch live video online.

Magid also looked at why people tune into live video streams. The most popular answer is that live streams make the viewer feel updated and informed (25 percent). Also, 20 percent like that it makes them feel as if they’re part of an event, while 17 percent say live video feels authentic.

This data comes from a national survey of 2,400 online consumers age 8 to 64 conducted in May and June 2017.

Written by Troy Dreier