Media insights on the launch of Facebook gaming

BY MODCO MEDIAPLUS

In a move to take on Amazon’s Twitch and Google’s YouTube, Facebook launched their own dedicated mobile app “Facebook Gaming” where users can create and stream live gameplay. The app is already available on Android and will soon be available on iOS. We consulted our gaming team for some insights on how this will play out for brands on the platform. 

Facebook lowers the entry barrier with significantly cheaper CPMs

For advertisers, the app will have appeal thanks to Facebook’s integrated audience data, dynamic optimizations, and ease of delivery through their self-managed ad platform. Where Twitch provides premium content against a highly-qualified audience, Facebook lowers the entry barrier with significantly cheaper CPMs. Facebook’s strong performance metrics for video content will also help drive higher view times and completion rates compared to standard in-feed placements. Because Facebook Gaming is app only, Facebook can guarantee 100 percent share of attention on that device and higher ad viewability, whereas Twitch and YouTube have to contend with divided attention and free browsing on desktop.

Advertising opportunities

Gaming is huge, and it’s only getting bigger. It certainly makes sense for the tech giant to double down on gaming-related efforts and move up this launch to take advantage of increased time spent at home. With a captive audience, now is the perfect time for advertisers to test and learn on a new platform.

Article BY MADISON RHYNER AND KEVIN RENWICK