Bloomberg discusses how television channels are hosting live-stream events on Facebook in the hopes of re-engaging fans and bringing them back to broadcast television:
Since Facebook Inc. rolled out live video for celebrities last year, the service has become a popular tool for broadcasters like Walt Disney Co.'s ABC to entice TV viewers to watch shows when they air‚ and sit through the ads. That's a real challenge in the era of Netflix and Hulu, when audiences have more options than ever and live TV viewing is declining
Pardon the hyperbole but this feels like whistling past the graveyard. Sure, this might make sense as a way to stem the near-term decline of viewers who are interested in scheduled broadcast content. But judging against the long-term trend of audiences transitioning online, webcasts of meet-and-greets with tv celebrities won't be enough to bring them back. Hopefully television studios realize that in time.
