Facebook Unveils Monetization Plan for Gaming Streamers

In light of the latest policy change for YouTube which is hitting content creators hard, and in a world where Twitch continues to be many gamers' go to for all things game-age, Facebook is upping their own participation in the video game niche by rolling out a new program that provides monetization for streamers getting down on their favorite titles.

The new program aims to reward gaming streamers that fans love by offering monetary compensation during livestreaming sessions. According to a recent press release, "Based on the results of our initial tests, we'll expand our fan support monetization initiatives to more gaming creators, including participants in our initial pilot program."

For those familiar with Twitch, the initial pilot program will work similarly to the tipping mechanic, allowing viewers to offer a little more support for their favorite gamers. The new Gaming Creator Pilot aims to be desirable for content creators, to offer another niche in a growing market. With Twitch's popularity continuing to boom and YouTube's outstanding success now in the spotlight for less than flattering reasons, Facebook is looking to carve out their own position within this specific market.

"We expect to try out other monetization services in addition to those down the road," Facebook's Head of Games Guy Cross told Polygon. "When it comes to our video platform, we're entering partnerships where we're paying our partners to deliver content and help us see the ecosystem and test to see what type of content plays to their strengths. The real plan, over the long haul, is to have these other monetization services take lift and provide these sustainable growth opportunities these creators and publishers will depend upon for the long run."

As far as the estimated quality, the streams are expected to run at 60fps and be able to handle a consistent 1080p resolution. It'll be interesting to see how the program plays out. Unlike their competitors, Facebook is still relatively new to this market so a few growing pains are expected. That being said, it's not like they are lacking the resources and market research is aplenty with the ever growing gaming industry and flourishing streaming culture.

If you're interested in checking it out, or even signing up, you can read all about it right here.