What Do The New York Times' 100 Million Views on Facebook-Live Signal for 2017?

In 2016, Facebook hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons. After it was revealed that fake news stories gained more traction than news stories from reputable news sources, the social media behemoth was even accused of influencing the outcome of the 2016 US election. This is in no small part due to Facebook’s reach and recent innovations to their communication tools. It shouldn’t go unnoticed, then, that The New York Times reached 100 million views on Facebook Live.

Take the Good with the Bad

Although fake news gained more traction than reputable news, legacy news sources on Facebook have experienced astronomical increases in digital news consumption, in both written and video form.

According to Pew, 62% of U.S. adults obtain their daily news from social media. While this spurred great concern over misinformation campaigns, fake news and echo chambers, which Zuckerberg is rightly tackling, it seems we have missed the bigger picture.

Digital ad revenue is on the rise, especially in the time following the election. As of November, The New York Times reported a 21% increase in digital ad revenue, representing $44 million dollars, and 116,000 new digital-subscribers in that quarter alone. The bigger story, though, is about engagement—the truer measure of “success” in the shifting media landscape.

According to Reuters, The New York Times enjoyed over 100 million views of its Facebook Live videos, predominantly a combination of presidential politics and celebrity interviews.

This is unsurprisng. Print media is steadily declining, superceded by rising digital content. Those media companies embracing digital transformation rather than burying their heads in the sand are nothing short of fascinating.

The New Face of Journalism

The New York Times has been unafraid and unrelenting in honing their digital competencies and creating new narratives undergirded by innovative editorial content, video technology, and augmented reality.

The rise of live-streamed video journalism enabled anyone with a smartphone to report live, directly from the scene of a breaking news story. For journalists, these new tools make perfect sense. The ability to perform an impromptu interview or react to a breaking story in real time is incredibly potent and personal.

And the news is only getting more personal. Journalism enhanced by virtual technology and documentaries puts the reader at the heart of the story, completely immersed in the environment. The technology that powers 360-degree videos turns the news into an experience, one that transports readers to another location, with new sounds, a time-lapsed vista, and if the imagination permits, new emotions.

That is how The New York Times positioned themselves at the head of the pack when they launched the Daily 360. Delivering one, 360-degree video every day on NYT.com, this digital storytelling gives you new eyes to see the world beyond your smartphone, through your smartphone.

A fake news story does not go to these lengths. The experience that The New York Times gives its readers through its myriad social media channels and digitalscapes is personal, professional, and reputable. That kind of brand validity and digital capability requires years in the field and substantial revenue.

In Sum

The easiest way of predicting the future is not through a crystal ball. It’s by watching today's trends very closely. The New York Times' achievement of 100 million views on Facebook Live is a clear indicator that how news today reaches people and affects them is very different. And it is perhaps the perfect antidote to fake news and misinformation.

Looking forward to 2017, it would be precipitous to suggest that VR- and 360-video-reportage will hit the mainstream very soon. However, the takeaway is that these new digital tools in the journalist’s toolbox are bringing the ancient art of storytelling into the 21st century.

Now that The New York Times surpassed 100 million views on Facebook Live, chances are others will follow suit very quickly. That’s a riveting prospect.

But, what are your thoughts? Do Facebook Live, 360-video and VR excite you or leave you cold?

Let me know by commenting below.