Facebook Live broadcasts have received nearly two billion viewers to date

[Polycount]

Despite Facebook's recent Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, the website remains one of the most popular social media platforms out there and it isn't difficult to see why. Facebook is home to lively Group discussions, several casual games and, of course, Facebook Live.

Since its inception, Facebook Live has been a way for internet personalities, family and friends to give other Facebook users a glimpse into their lives. Whether they're broadcasting an event or simply discussing their day, there's no denying the feature's wide appeal.

According to Engadget, we finally know exactly how popular the feature is. Facebook users have collectively launched well over 3.5 billion broadcasts since Live first became available and those broadcasts have seen close to 2 billion total viewers over time.

Naturally, there could be more to these numbers than meets the eye; Facebook didn't offer details regarding how they gathered this data. It's possible some users merely skimmed past live broadcasts in their timeline, an act that may count as a view in Facebook's eyes.

...Facebook also reportedly claims live broadcasts from verified Pages increased by 50 percent in 2017.

Still, even with the possibility of slightly misleading data in mind, it's clear Facebook Live has a dedicated userbase. Indeed, Facebook also reportedly claims live broadcasts from verified Pages increased by "50 percent" in 2017.

Facebook Live's growth has come at a cost, though. Some users have used the feature to livestream sexual violence, assault and even murder over time - something Facebook has struggled to deal with.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/74059-facebook-live-broadcasts-have-received-nearly-two-billion.html

 

[EClyde]

And they know it. Like all liberals they will just double down

 

[psycros]

And they know it. Like all liberals they will just double down

As bottom line oriented as they are, I don't think even Facebook wants the PR nightmare that comes with live-streamed felonies. Of course if Cambridge Analytica had been supporting Hillary we would never have heard a thing about it. Where were the Democrats and the media when Russian trolls were helping get Obama into office?

 

[NicktheWVAHick]

I come for the company but I stay for the violence.

 

[slamscaper]

FB really needs to improve the max bit rate so you can use OBS to stream 4K display captures and have it actually look good. Right now they max out at 4200 kilobits per second and 720p resolution. If they just supported at least another 2000 kilobits per second, 720p video would look half-decent at least.

IDK if they impose this limit when just streaming live directly from a webcam or phone, but I'd imagine so. Since OBS shows exactly what bit rate I'm streaming at, it's easy to see what FB's server maxes out at. YouTube does a MUCH better job so seeing as FB has nearly caught up to them in video content, they need to open the purse strings a bit and offer some more bandwidth.