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Is Facebook Gaming Worth Is? – Twitch vs. FB.GG

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While Twitch is typically considered the gold standard for streaming, there are several drawbacks to the platform. For those reasons, many content creators are looking to other streaming platforms, like YouTube Gaming or Facebook, to grow their community.

Many Facebook Gaming users love it due to its ease of use. You can share it easily with your friends or on other Facebook pages. As far as initial views go, it is the easiest platform to get eyes on your content (though you still need to work on creating valuable content to grow).

How does Facebook Gaming work? How does it measure up to the competition? Can broadcasters earn money by streaming on Facebook? We will answer these questions and more.

Advantages of Streaming on Facebook Gaming

The best thing about streaming on Facebook is the reach to potential viewers that you have. Outreach and promotion are far more manageable as it is linked to a top-rated social media site. 

At the beginning of each stream, you can quickly post it to your timeline or a group page (make sure to check their rules). People in these groups will encounter your stream while they browse their home feed. Viewers can discover you more naturally. As long as you are entertaining, you can quickly grow a following. 

As it is Facebook, it is straightforward for your fans to share your content with their friends, giving you further reach than your target demographic.

Fategengeers

You and your followers can share your content on pages to show up in other people’s feeds.

If all you want to do is stream Fortnite, Facebook may be the place for you. While the game is oversaturated on every platform, growing your Fortnite channel on Facebook over Twitch or YouTube Gaming is easier.

As video game streaming is generally pushed toward younger viewers, it is extremely valuable to advertisers. This means that Facebook will likely continually make incentives to keep creators on its platform. 

It is Easier to Promote Your Facebook Gaming Channel

Outreach and promotion are far easier for Facebook gamers than for any other platform. As fb.gg is part of the social media giant, Facebook makes it easy to promote your stream and reach several new viewers.

You can post your stream to any page that allows it. The stream will play live for anyone who is looking on that page or scrolling through their feed. 

You should note that many Facebook Gaming viewers have come to expect free perks and giveaways. Due to how easy it is to promote streams by asking people to share or post them elsewhere, many streamers frequently host giveaways to grow their viewership.

Your Viewers Can Earn Free Stars!

As your viewers watch your channel, they have the chance to receive Stars that they can donate to you. You must correctly tag the corresponding game for this feature to work. The amount they receive is random, but the more you play in any given 7-day period will increase the amount they might earn.  

The amount you play is set in three different categories:

  • Bronze: 0-15 hours broadcast time through the last week.
  • Silver Tier: 15-30 broadcast time through the last week.
  • Gold Tier: 30+ broadcast time through the last week.

People Can Watch From the Facebook Gaming App

For a long time, there wasn’t a dedicated mobile app where people could enjoy video game live streaming on Facebook. That being said, they have released an app allowing your viewers to tune in from anywhere.

Like Messenger, however, they will need to download an additional app on their phones as they won’t be able to access the live streaming space from the original Facebook app.

What are the Potential Issues with Streaming on Facebook?

While it is easier to reach a broader audience on Facebook, content creators don’t take it seriously for earning revenue. Facebook has done a lot to make its platform more competitive with Twitch. 

  • Facebook’s algorithm won’t always let your viewers see you are live immediately. You may need to use Twitter or another platform to notify your viewers if you don’t stream on a schedule.
  • Facebook will prioritize streamers who pay for ad-space over streamers who don’t.
  • Facebook Gaming has lax privacy issues. Viewers are still logged in with their real names, and it is easier for malicious users to track people.
  • Some people don’t like the design of the user interface.
  • Facebook is an older social media site. It launched in 2004. This means that now, there are people with social accounts born after the platform’s creation. The younger generation views it as their “parent’s social network,” and many opt for other apps. Facebook isn’t ready to give up the fight for the young crowd.

It is difficult for all broadcasting platforms to compete with Twitch. Twitch has a great sense of community with a lot of loyalists. It is essentially the same as Bitcoin versus any altcoin. People gravitate toward the original and are naturally skeptical toward others.

History of Facebook Gaming

Facebook started letting people Live-Stream in 2015 but didn’t set any structure in place. They started building up Fb.gg in early 2018. In June 2018, they created the Level Up Program, allowing broadcasters to earn on their platform. 

Facebook Gaming is still relatively new and in development. We hope that they will add additional features in the future to make things easier and more lucrative for their users.

Like other platforms, Facebook Gaming has done its part in enticing other streamers to join their platform. One of those most popular Facebook Gaming Partners is DisguisedToast, who left Twitch to join the platform.

Push Toward VR

It isn’t a secret that Facebook owns Oculus, one of the leading virtual reality manufacturers. The company is pushing to get exclusive rights to select games (such as a VR version of Assassin’s Creed).

As you can easily set up your live stream to Facebook with their products, we expect to see more broadcasters taking advantage of these features. Virtual Reality is brand new, and as it gets better and becomes more popular, Facebook Gaming may take the lion’s share of VR viewers. 

How Do You Sign Up for Facebook Gaming?

It’s relatively simple to set up a Facebook Gaming Page. Enter your stream name as your page name. 

Upload the profile picture and cover photo you want to use for your brand. Remember to plan with your future goals in mind as you design them. Make it easy for your future community to follow and recognize your content.

After you have finished setting up your page, invite your friends and family to follow it. When you go live, people will be able to find you at fb.gg/(your-brands-name)

You can also convert an existing Facebook page to serve as your gaming page.

What is Facebook Level Up?

Facebook Level Up is a program that allows viewers to donate to their favorite streamers with Facebook Stars. This program is similar to Twitch’s Affiliate Program and Twitch Bits. To qualify for the program, you must first grow the follower count of your page to 100 people.

Then stream for at least two days for a total of 4 or more hours within 14 days. If you have followed the ToS, Facebook should invite you to the program.

As a member of the Facebook Level Up program, you will be able to receive stars from your viewers. As I stated earlier, Stars operate similarly to Twitch’s bits. Users can purchase them for a fee from Facebook then donate the stars to the streamer of their choice. Each star is worth $.01 to broadcasters. They can be redeemed from the platform once you’ve earned 10,000 (a value of $100) or more stars.

Other Ways to Earn Revenue on Facebook Gaming

Streamers can set up third-party donation systems through platforms like StreamLabs or StreamElements. Even Twitch and Mixer don’t have donations integrated on their platform yet. You can also set up a monthly donation system through Patreon. Create unique incentives to entice your viewers to want to support you financially.

You also have the opportunity to partner with sponsors and work as an influencer. Sponsors like to work with broadcasters who are entertaining and produce reliable content.

Should You Stream on Facebook?

The answer to this question depends on several factors. If you want to stream saturated games (such as Fortnite, CS:GO, and League of Legends), finding an audience on Facebook is far easier. 

Facebook gaming may also be attractive to casual broadcasters who want to handle their communities and channels simultaneously. This can make things a lot easier for you if you aren’t ready to take streaming seriously. 

The truth is, Twitch currently has 70% of the amount of live-stream hours watched. While this may change in the future, this platform dominates the others with how much potential it can offer you. So while you may start your stream career elsewhere to build a following, we recommend that you make Twitch your end game. The other thing to note is that Facebook Gaming doesn’t have a “Just Chatting” category. When you’re streaming, you must be gaming. 

Facebook Gaming has a lot of potential due to the few right business decisions they have made. With a few more tweaks and a better interface, they may soon become more competitive. 

Which is Better? Twitch or Facebook Gaming

. It’s critical to make an informed decision on which live streaming platform you should pick to foster the audience you want. Let’s look at the differences between Facebook Gaming and Twitch and see which one is right for you!

When deciding which platform is best for you, you need to consider the pros and cons of each as well as examine how you can grow.

Growing through a Platform

If you’re primarily looking to grow through streaming, Facebook Gaming is a far more comfortable platform for building an audience. The platform itself has over 2 billion users, while also having far fewer active streaming accounts. As well as this, Facebook Gaming has a search algorithm that can serve your live streams to new users interested in the directory you’re streaming under.

unique channels on Twitch, youtube, facebook

Growing through other Platforms

Twitch remains the most dominant platform for live streaming. If you’re a content creator and build a portfolio of content on different platforms, it would be in your best interest to be streaming on Twitch.

It’s essential to recognize that Twitch is the most standardized live streaming platform, and when users think of live streaming, they think of Twitch. As a result, if you’re building content on other platforms, it will be much easier to direct them to Twitch than Facebook Gaming.

In summary, Twitch and Facebook Gaming cater to different circumstances. Ensure where you are in your content creation career, before diving into a live streaming service. To help you further with your decision, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of each platform.

Pros and Cons of Twitch

The following are the pros and cons of Twitch:

total hours watched
  1. Largest Live Streaming Community

    Twitch has the largest community for live streamers and live-stream viewers, especially for gaming creators. It has a very cultured user base, meaning they understand using chat, displaying emotes, and generally expressing support to their favorite streamer. 

  2. Enormous Brand Recognition

    Twitch was the first breakout platform and has since been growing consistently. It has become synonymous with Live Streaming and is home to some of the most successful live streamers and content creators.

  3. Deterring Monetary System

    In comparison to Facebook Gaming, Twitch takes a very large cut. The platform will take 50% of all revenue from its revenue systems: subscriptions, in-stream ads, celebrations, and bits. Facebook Gaming doesn’t take a revenue cut on Stars for the first year of your Level Up creator journey and has additional opportunities such as sponsorship management.

Pros and Cons of Facebook Gaming

The following are the pros and cons of Facebook Gaming:

  1. Detailed Analytics

    Facebook provides very detailed analytics. You can view how your content is performing; whether it’s a video or a live stream, streamers can easily see if their newest content exceeds the previous.

  2. Ads

    One of the unique opportunities Facebook Gaming offers is paid advertising. You can advertise a live stream, a VOD of a live stream, an uploaded video, a post, and much more. Facebook allows nearly all its interactive services to be advertised, and you can choose which regions you’d like to target, when you’d like to target them, and for how long. Ad rates are competitive and reasonably priced, allowing a streamer to go organically or artificially through ads to boost their content.

  3. Search Algorithm

    Facebook Gaming provides a search algorithm through the Facebook Gaming page and Facebook itself. Users will see your live stream on their wall if they have shown an interest in a particular game category you’re streaming under; Facebook Gaming is very persistent in pushing a Stream if a user has interacted with it before.

    However, Facebook’s algorithm is hugely punishing to a variety of streamers. If you’re planning to keep switching the game you play continually, the algorithm does not look at your page favorably. As a result, narrowing down what content you can produce can deter new streamers.

  4. Data Privacy

    One of the cons of Facebook Gaming is that it is a subsidiary of Facebook, which has been heavily scrutinized for its data privacy handling in the past five years. As a result, new streamers may be uncomfortable using the platform as Facebook may expose their data to other advertisers.

  5. Audience

    The audience size on Facebook Gaming is significantly smaller in comparison to Twitch. Although Twitch and Facebook boast a large audience size, both platforms’ user culture is far different. Twitch has always been designed to produce live content, so users naturally gravitate towards live streamers. On the other hand, Facebook was created to connect with friends and relatives, which is quite a far cry from users who would typically use the service to watch live streams.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Does Facebook Gaming Pay More Than Twitch?

    Facebook Gaming adopts a different business model by charging the viewer a cut rather than deducting the streamer’s amount. For example, to cash out Facebook Stars, you’ll need to accumulate 10,000 stars ($100 USD). Viewers can purchase Stars at 100 per $1; however, Facebook charges them $1.40 for 100 stars. As a result, Facebook generates its revenue from the viewer and not the streamer. Facebook Gaming streamers can generate much more revenue than Twitch streamers, as Twitch takes a flat 50% cut on all platform monetary systems.

  2. How Much Do Facebook Gaming Streamers Make?

    Successful Facebook Gaming streamers can create full-time income through Facebook Stars, in-stream Ads, channel subscriptions, and more. Then can generate a comfortable income of $3000-$5000 a month, from a smaller viewership than the equivalent on Twitch. However, it’s important to remember that incomes vary vastly between creators, and it’s up to the creator to produce quality content, which will become revenue.

  3. Is it Easier to Grow on Facebook Gaming Than on Twitch?

    It is easier to grow on Facebook Gaming inherently, as the platform has 20x the user base of Twitch while having the lowest amount of active streaming accounts. However, it’s important to remember that both platforms were designed for two different audiences, and most of Facebook’s users are not on the platform to view live streaming content. It’s also important to keep in mind that Facebook Gaming’s most popular categories at mobile games may not appeal to a western audience – making it more challenging to grow.

Conclusion

Whether you wanted an overview of the Facebook streaming platform or you wanted to know the answer to the question, “Twitch vs Facebook Gaming,” we hope we have helped you gather the information you need to make an informed choice.

While Twitch remains the most popular streaming platform, many people are turning to other platforms within the streaming world. In the end, it is important that you find the best streaming platform that works for your and your community.

About the Author

Igi

Igi is a Content Strategist from England and makes streams on Twitch and YouTube. He's big into self-improvement and loves fitness! He excels at data analysis and experimenting with new ideas.

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