Facebook is splashing $2.2 million on live-streaming content deals with around two dozen internet stars from YouTube and Vine.
The social network’s multi-million dollar partnerships with media companies and celebs came to light last month, when The Wall Street Journal revealed the financial details of some of the deals the company had sealed. Among the highest paid outlets were media companies BuzzFeed, The New York Times, and CNN, which all received upwards of $3 million to create videos for the burgeoning service.
Comparatively speaking, the payouts being offered to internet stars seem like peanuts. One of the web sensations receiving a large sum from Facebook is Vine star Jon Paul Piques, who stands to net $119,000 for five videos over the next two months. That works out to $24,000 per clip for Piques, who currently boasts a social media following of over 11 million.
YouTube star Ray William Johnson, who is responsible for the online series Equals Three Show, is netting the most lucrative deal, worth $224,000 over the course of five and a half months. Other major players include Brent Rivera ($213,000), Logan Paul ($210,667), and Andrew Bachelor, aka King Bach ($206,667).
Web stars such as Pique comprise approximately 15 percent of Facebook’s 140 media partners, according to the Wall Street Journal. When the report of the live-streaming contracts first emerged, we noted that some internet celebs were mentioned on the list. Facebook is adamant that it is not attempting to pinch the celebs from the platforms that helped establish them, and instead just wants to “encourage experimentation” on its live-streaming network.
Nonetheless, the move is cause for concern for Vine’s parent company Twitter. The video looping platform has been under immense pressure to offer financial incentives to its biggest creators, many of who have threatened to leave. Even more worryingly, a recent report claimed that Vine has lost several executives over the past four months.
Facebook’s strategy follows a similar venture from YouTube, which reportedly paid media companies, Hollywood studios, and rising web stars over $100 million to create channels on its platform in 2011.
