Facebook Live is a feature on Facebook that allows users to broadcast live video streams to their followers. One common question is whether Facebook Live has built-in support for donations or tips from viewers.
Quick Answer
The short answer is no – Facebook Live does not directly support donations or tips natively within the Facebook Live platform or app. However, there are some workarounds that Facebook Live broadcasters can use to collect donations from their viewers.
Explanation
When Facebook first launched Facebook Live in 2016, it was focused primarily on enabling users to broadcast live video. Features like chat, reactions, and sharing were included, but more advanced features like donations were not part of the original Facebook Live product.
Over time, Facebook has added more capabilities to Facebook Live to make it easier for creators and businesses to monetize their live videos. This includes features like ad breaks and fan subscriptions. However, direct donations remain unsupported.
The main reasons why native donations are not supported on Facebook Live are:
- Facebook Live is designed for personal broadcasting – donations change the dynamics and introduce additional complexity in terms of payments processing and regulatory requirements.
- Facebook focuses on advertising as the primary monetization model – donations could potentially compete with or cannibalize ad revenue.
- Integrating third-party payment platforms into Facebook Live would be technically challenging due to security, privacy, and regulatory considerations.
While users cannot donate directly within Facebook Live itself, there are some workarounds that broadcasters can use to collect tips or donations from viewers:
Link to External Donation Page
One of the simplest options is for the broadcaster to link out to an external donation page or service from their Facebook Live video. For example, they could promote their Patreon, PayPal, Venmo or another donation platform verbally and visually during the video and direct people to donate there.
Facebook Stars
Facebook Stars allows viewers to purchase “stars” during a Facebook Live video which are converted to real money for creators after the broadcast ends. This provides a way for fans to tip creators during a Live video.
Third-Party Apps and Tools
There are some third-party platforms like Streamlabs or Stars that integrate with Facebook Live and allow viewers to tip or donate during a video. These donate to the third-party platform, which then pays out the content creator.
tagging people for donations
Some broadcasters will tag or mention specific viewers within the Live video and request that they donate directly via an external channel like PayPal. This enables quasi-donations during the stream.
So in summary – while Facebook Live does not directly support donations or tips natively, creators can find workarounds to collect donations from viewers through promoting external links, platforms like Stars, third-party integrations, or directly requesting donations within the video.
The Pros and Cons of Donations on Facebook Live
Allowing donations directly within the Facebook Live product would have some potential benefits but also some drawbacks for broadcasters and for Facebook itself. Here is a look at some of the key pros and cons:
Potential Pros
- Added revenue stream for creators from fans
- New monetization option beyond ads or subscriptions
- Enables supporter and fan-funded model
- Seamless donation experience for viewers
- Leverages Facebook’s massive reach and platform
Potential Cons
- Admin overhead for Facebook to handle payments
- Donations may cannibalize ad revenue for Facebook
- Risk of IVT/fake donations to inflate results
- Added content policy and moderation requirements
- Legal and regulatory burden (taxes, etc)
Facebook likely sees the cons and risks of integrating donations directly into Live as outweighing the potential benefits. The workaround options allow creators to experiment with fan funding while Facebook focuses on advertising and subscriptions.
Comparison to Donations on Other Platforms
It is helpful to compare Facebook Live’s lack of donation support to how other major video platforms handle donations:
YouTube Super Chat
YouTube allows donations and tips during live streams via its Super Chat feature. Fans can pay to pin animated comments during the live video.
Twitch Bits and Subscriptions
Twitch enables its streamers to earn revenue from fans through paid channel subscriptions and Twitch Bits, which are virtual goods viewers can purchase and then redeem for animated emotes during streams.
TikTok LIVE Gifts
TikTok LIVE allows viewers to purchase and send virtual gifts to creators during live videos as a way to show support and donate.
Instagram LIVE Badges
Instagram recently introduced LIVE Badges that fans can purchase during broadcasts as a way to financially support creators during livestreams.
So YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram all have some form of native donations or virtual gifts built into live streaming. Facebook Live stands out as one of the only major platforms without direct donation capabilities.
The Future: Will Facebook Live Add Donations?
Given that Facebook Live has gone several years without adding any form of native donations, it seems unlikely that they will add this capability anytime soon.
Facebook appears committed to its current monetization paths – ads and fan subscriptions. Donations could potentially disrupt their ad revenue and also create administrative headaches.
However, if fan donations continue to take off on competing platforms, Facebook may re-evaluate adding some form of tipping or virtual gifts. This could help attract and retain more creators.
But in the near term, broadcasters will continue to need to rely on third-party apps, linking out to external platforms, or mentioning/tagging fans to receive direct donations during Facebook Live videos.
Some potential ways Facebook could integrate donations in a lightweight way in the future include:
- Adding a “Tip Jar” card that links to external services like PayPal
- Letting Pages create special links for donations to add to their videos
- Partnering with a vendor like Streamlabs for overlays and tools
- Taking a smaller revenue share on Stars to promote that option
But again, Facebook has yet to indicate any intention to support direct donations natively in Facebook Live anytime soon. The focus is still on advertising revenue and Fan Subscriptions rather than direct viewer tipping.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Facebook Live does not currently support donations or tipping directly within the live streaming experience.
- Broadcasters can link to external platforms or use third-party apps to collect donations.
- Enabling donations could have pros but also cons for creators and Facebook.
- Other major platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok do support live donations.
- It is unlikely Facebook will add native donations to Live soon, but virtual gifts could be possible down the road.
For now, creators will need to be creative and leverage integrations to receive funding from fans during Facebook Live broadcasts. But the core monetization avenues will continue to be advertising and subscriptions facilitated directly by Facebook.