Last month, Facebook announced it would pay $50 million to 140 media companies and celebrities to create videos for Facebook Live. What’s getting attention now are the 15 percent of those recipients who are Internet celebrities popular on platforms such as YouTube, Vine, Snapchat and Instagram. Those celebrities will reap approximately $2.2 million over the next few months to focus their video broadcasts on Facebook Live rather than competing sites. As of yet, Facebook hasn’t determined how to generate revenue from Live. Continue reading Top Internet Celebrities Paid to Make Move to Facebook Live

Social TV startup SimulTV launched a video viewing app last month for tablets and the Web. According to a soon-to-be-released study from the startup, online video engagement is on the rise. The top 200 YouTube channels, very few of which come from major brands or media entities, have thus far published nearly 187,000 videos that have generated 144 billion views, 520 million comments and a billion “likes.” Leading areas include gaming, entertainment and comedy. Continue reading Online Video Trends: Tips for Increasing Viewer Engagement

In January, comedy channel Smosh became the top YouTube channel when it surpassed Ray William Johnson. It then became the first channel to hit 8 million subscribers, and then 9 million. Created by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox under the Alloy Digital umbrella, Smosh became the first to reach eight-digits yesterday with 10 million subscribers. The rapid growth of the channel reflects the recent explosion in popularity of online video. Continue reading Smosh: First YouTube Channel to Hit 10 Million Subscribers