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Report: Facebook Live Spending Millions to Entice YouTube Stars

Facebook now has almost two dozen "YouTube creators, Vine stars and Internet personalities" on its payroll.

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

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Facebook really wants you to watch live video on its platform, so it's enlisting the help of your favorite YouTube stars and enticing them with cold hard cash.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook will shell out about $2.2 million over the next several months to lure YouTube and Vine stars to its Live platform. Case in point: Facebook is paying Vine celeb Jon Paul Piques, who earned fame on Twitter's 6-secind video platform for his humorous and sometimes raunchy videos, some $119,000 to use Live at least five times a month through September, according to the report.

He's one of almost two dozen "YouTube creators, Vine stars, and internet personalities" on Facebook's payroll, the Journal reports. The list also includes Ray William Johnson, famous for his "The Equals Three Show" on YouTube (which is on "summer break" at the moment), who will make about $224,000 during 5.5 months for his efforts on Facebook Live.

In a statement to the Journal, Facebook's Vice President of global operations and media partnerships, Justin Osofsky, said the company hasn't specifically hatched some sort of "acquisition strategy to go after Vine and YouTube stars," but is just seeking to "encourage experimentation" on Facebook Live.

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Meanwhile, the money going to these Internet celebs is just a fraction of what Facebook has budgeted to make Live a success. The Journal says the company has committed to pay 140 media companies and celebrities more than $50 million to create Live videos. Most of that money will go to media companies like BuzzFeed and New York Times Co.

For those of you already on Facebook Live, catch PCMag's live show, Random Access, every morning at 10 a.m. ET via Facebook.com/PCMag. This morning's episode is embedded below.

Random Access: Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2

Today we're showing you the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-2, a new way to instantly print your photos. Our news storiws include Facebook's Internet lasers, a big ban by Twitter and open applications for Twitter verification.

Posted by PCMag on Wednesday, July 20, 2016

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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