Going Live in the Time of Corona

Things that brands need to know — why now, what’s new, and what’s next

Live content, both on linear TV and digital channels, is enjoying a spike in audience attention. While typically dominated by sports content, live entertainment of various sorts has reclaimed this space. Networks need programs to fill the void left by traditional sports, and audiences are also increasingly turning to live content. Per Nielsen data reported by MAGNA:

Disney Family Sing-Along was the highest-rated telecast of the COVID-19 time frame (March 12-April 16) with a 2.6 rating among adults 18–49. In fact, the special was the third highest rated entertainment telecast of the season, tied with ABC’s Little Mermaid Live! (excluding sports and award shows).

NBC’s first remote edition of Saturday Night Live was also a success, ranking among the top 10 of all programs among adults 18–49 as well. This edition of SNL was the highest-rated telecast since the holiday special from 2019.

Of course, it’s not just the live content on linear TV that is getting a boost — live content across social networks is also seeing significant growth in usage and viewership. Instagram says its live video usage is up over 70% in the U.S. since the pandemic broke out. Similarly, according to a report by Tubular Labs, a social video analytics firm:

Time spent watching livestreams on YouTube rose 19% between March 12 and 25. Views of live videos on Facebook also jumped during the same two-week window, as the number of people watching a live video (either in real time or replaying a livestream after it ended) increased by 37%. Watch time for livestreams on Twitch rose 16% during the same period.

There is no denying that there has been a live video explosion across the board in the time of corona, and brand marketers are quick to follow audience attention and capitalize on this trend. But before you rush in, here are a couple of things to consider.

Why Now?

It’s fascinatingly paradoxical to think that live content is somehow making a comeback on TV, as the entertainment content space has spent the past decade moving staunchly away from appointment viewing of live programs to time-shifted viewing on streaming platforms. Practically speaking, live events are also not easy to put together during a pandemic, as they typically require a large group of people to work together for months in pre-production and rehearsals. (Out of necessity, producers quickly adapted to the new reality, which we’ll get into in the next section.)

Facing an unprecedented global health crisis, however, one could argue that our physical isolation has resulted in a resurfaced need for collectively shared cultural experiences that used to dominate the TV monoculture. While we are physically alone at home, consuming live content with others could at least provide a pleasant reassurance that we are still socially and culturally bonded with others. This inherent sense of co-viewing and togetherness that live content provides its viewers with is exactly what people crave.

On digital platforms, especially, live content also comes with varying degrees of real-time interactivity that non-gaming content lacks. Even live events on linear TV can add an interactive dimension to their experiences by encouraging live tweeting and other types of second-screen activations. Livestreaming platforms integrate with live chat and other tools such as Twitch Emotes to allow viewers to interact with not only the streamers but also with each other.

Perhaps equally important, people are simply bored. In a recent Gallup poll of Americans staying at home, 45% report experiencing boredom, and 24% experience anger or loneliness. Live content, therefore, offers a welcome diversion to the humdrum “shelter-at-home” life. Overwhelmed by the amount of available video content to watch on OTT services and social media, some viewers choose the easy way out and turn to live videos, which leverages the “now-or-never” sense of immediacy and urgency to stand out from other forms of entertainment content that “can wait.”

For brands, this means that there has never been a better time to explore live video as a marketing tool to engage with audiences in real time. The best practice, however, is that brands need to make sure they are providing content compelling enough to cut through the noise and get people to tune in.

For example, showcasing the work your brand is doing to combat the pandemic and give back to the community is a good content strategy for going live. A recent 4A’s survey showed that 40% of respondents said they find it reassuring to hear from brands they know and trust right now and respond to positive initiatives. J&J has turned their work in searching for a COVID-19 vaccine into a weekly web series called The Road to a Vaccine, which features live weekly episodes hosted by CNN anchor Lisa Ling available on JNJ.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

What’s New?

Make no mistake, live content is blossoming across various platforms from linear TV to social media, and from dedicated livestreaming sites to online video games, each with its own unique format and aesthetics. From live specials put together for broadcasts, such as the “One World: Together at Home” virtual concert produced by Global Citizen that simulcasted on three broadcast networks and YouTube on April 18, to the numerous live video sessions generated by celebrities, musicians, and influencers on the likes of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch, to live events happening in the virtual world of online games, like the Travis Scott virtual concerts in Fortnite, live entertainment now covers a full spectrum of experiences across various channels.

Some brands are already capitalizing on the explosion of live content via sponsorships, presumably with budgets previously allocated for sponsoring the now-canceled events. Fiat Chrysler sponsored a virtual concert series on Facebook Live while Michelob Ultra tapped into the trend of at-home fitness by sponsoring live workout sessions featuring personal trainers across the brand’s Facebook Live, Instagram Live and YouTube Live channels.

In particular, this pandemic is accelerating the development of video games as a platform for non-gaming live experiences. Granted, this type of live experience has a far higher dimension of interactivity than other forms of live content. Nevertheless, gaming creators are pushing the envelope on the definition of “live content” and the channels where they can activate. The aforementioned Travis Scott concert series in Fortnite amassed over 27.7 million unique players and 45.8 million total views across the five events.

Similarly, a live awards show held in Roblox earlier this month drew over 4 million concurrent players. Even before the pandemic, games like Fortnite and Roblox showed great potential of becoming platforms for shared virtual experiences, and this pandemic has created unique circumstances that made this evident, prompting more brands to seriously consider these virtual worlds created by video games as emerging media channels.

In addition, smart displays are also finding new use cases as more people turn to home cooking content, offering yet another live video channel for brands to explore. For example, Discovery and Amazon are offering a free one-year subscription to the Food Network Kitchen streaming service to all Amazon Fire TV and Fire Tablet customers. The service will feature live food cooking classes and Q&As to draw in viewers and maximize engagement.

Beyond the diversification of live content formats and channels, the type of people going live is also diversifying. As we noted in our previous piece on COVID-19 accelerating existing trends, this pandemic is also giving rise to a new crop of influencers:

Now that COVID-19 has shut down the offline channels that many people’s livelihood depends on, more people than ever are turning to digital channels and creative tools to connect with their audiences. From barbers to pastors to fitness instructors, people of all professions that used to make money via in-person services, are now turning to online platforms to showcase their expertise, often through live video.

Alison Roman, a food columnist for the New York Times, has reportedly gained 52,000 Instagram followers in March alone for her live videos on home cooking lessons. She has also recently started doing cross-brand livestreams with Sky Ting and The Cut. In China, startup CEOs and high-profile entrepreneurs are quickly becoming the best brand ambassadors for their companies as they take to live video on Tmall to promote their products.

For brands, the new wave of influencers will usher in a new era of influencer marketing that prioritizes professional expertise over general popularity built on good looks and personality. Not every professional expert would necessarily have the right skill set for hosting live events, which brands can mitigate by pairing them with more established influencers that are more comfortable hosting live events.

It is also important to note that, as a result of social distancing, the restraints on content production are forcing live events to shift to the kind of casual, informal aesthetics perfected by YouTubers and social influencers. No more professional lighting and multi-camera POVs — even late night talk show hosts are now suddenly on equal footing with the comedians on YouTube and TikTok, or perhaps on even worse footing, given that many of them lack the kind of production skills that the digital-native content creators have learned.

Culturally speaking, we’ve been moving towards this sort of informal, off-the-cuff aesthetic that values “authenticity” over production value. Already, fashion magazines, such as Vogue, and brands are starting to embrace this new aesthetic. For instance, Jacquemus recently released its new Spring 2020 campaign, which features model Bella Hadid in images that were captured entirely via FaceTime. This new wave of live video growth will further shift our collective content preferences.

Therefore, the sooner that legacy media companies can adapt to this shift in aesthetics, the better off they will be. Of course, the cultural pendulum will inevitably swing back towards elaborate production down the road, but for the next few years, expect the cultural zeitgeist to embrace the kinds of informal, stripped-down style that puts a simulated sense of intimacy and authenticity over the typical pomp and circumstance we tend to associate with live events.

What’s Next?

Once we enter the post-pandemic recovery phase, it’s likely that viewership of live video will tamper down as people go back to their normal routines and therefore have less time and freedom to join live video sessions at the drop of a notification. Still, the media habits formed during this pandemic will have lasting effects on how users, media companies, influencers, and brands approach live content.

One thing that needs to happen for live content on social media to sustain its momentum is better payment integration, which will allow content creators to better monetize their livestreams via either donations or ecommerce features. In China, live-streaming has long been an integral part of the booming “shoppertainment” economy, as ecommerce platforms like Alibaba’s Tmall and JD.com allow merchants to go live with built-in features to demonstrate their products to prospective buyers and respond to questions. In the U.S., despite Amazon’s repeated efforts to make shoppable live content a thing, it has yet to take off among online shoppers.

Part of the reason behind this distinction is the lagging mobile payment adoption in the U.S. compared to China, which prevents social or livestreaming platforms from offering a seamless user experience that links live video to online purchases. Fortunately, there are some encouraging signs that this could change in the near future. For one thing, popular live streaming platforms such as Instagram and Twitch are starting to take ecommerce integrations seriously with features such as Shopping Tag or Teespring integration. Instagram has also added a donation feature to allow users to contribute to fundraising live events without leaving the app. For another, contactless payments, led by mobile payment methods, are reportedly on the rise, as hygiene-minded consumers seek to avoid handling cash or payment cards. Mobile payment research firm Crone Consulting projects that contactless payment will represent an additional 10% to 20% of transactions at stores because of the pandemic.

Besides better ecommerce integrations, another future growth driver that will be crucial to the longevity of live video will be enhanced interactivity. This is especially true for live content that happens on linear TV and live streaming sites today, where viewer participation, often mediated via text-based chats and social media posts, is still very limited and unsatisfactory. Consumer expectations always travel across categories, and we can’t expect a generation that grew up playing highly immersive and interactive video games to sit and consume a live video that they can’t easily participate in. The format of live video content, as diverse as it is today, will start to converge in the future. Brands will be better prepared for that hyper-interactive and fluid future if they can start exploring online gaming space today.

Lastly, the explosion of live content across channels will also pose a new challenge in discovery. With various live events popping up across TV, social media, live-streaming sites, online video games, and, perhaps in the future, online shopping sites, discovery and scheduling of live events will quickly become a major pain point for consumers. It could be as simple as an “add to calendar” feature when users come across a livestream they’d wish to attend, but the tool will need to be consistent across platforms. Twitch recently rolled out an esports directory to help fans discover live events, which is a step in the right direction. The future growth of live video calls for an aggregator that can surface the most relevant live content, regardless of which platform it is on, to the right audiences.

Want to Learn More?

We’re staying close to the disruptions that are being created and accelerated by COVID-19. To keep up with our latest news and insights on COVID-19’s near-term and long-term implications for marketers and brands, please be sure to subscribe to our Floor 9 podcast, now with new episodes weekly.

In addition, we have created some category-specific presentations on the business impact of COVID-19 across industries that are available for clients that would like to start a deeper conversation on how to weather the pandemic and prepare for a post-COVID world. If you’d like to learn more, please reach out to Josh Mallalieu, our Group Director, at josh@ipglab.com.