The News Feed: Facebook sits down with Red Table Talk
24th January 2020
Ben Hordos & Gabby Hurn – Team Social at Think Jam
Find out the biggest news in social this week, from Spotify testing Playlist Stories to Twitter launching emojis in DMs.
FACEBOOK
Facebook Signs 2022 Deal with Red Table Talk Facebook Watch series
Facebook has tied down the Jada Pinkett Smith-fronted Red Table Talk to its Watch platform until 2022, and ordered a spin-off to be hosted by Gloria Estefan as it zeroes in on unscripted series.
Facebook’s focus on unscripted series reflects a bigger change in audience content preference, as users are opting for spontaneous and relatable longer-form content – something to think about when creating for the platform, especially with talent.
Quick Bites
Facebook Considering Face Recognition to Unlock App
Facebook Signs PGA Tour Facebook Watch Deal
TWITTER
Twitter Launches Emojis for DMs
Have you ever gotten a Twitter DM that made you wish you could give it a thumbs down, laugh at it or just generally react to it like you can on Facebook? Well, now you can. You can easily react to a DM by clicking or tapping on the heart-plus icon that appears right next to a message. Double-tapping messages brings up the emoji panel, as well.
This update to Twitter DM provides more opportunity for brands and community managers to engage directly with users in a fun and playful way.
Quick Bites
Twitter Looks to Update ‘Explore’ Tab to Focus on Topic Lists
Twitter Updates TV Show Reminder Button
INSTAGRAM
Instagram To Add More Story Features
With Stories becoming continually more popular with users, Instagram is adding a new feature allowing you to see all of your mentions in one place, and letting you easily re-share these to your own Stories. Instagram are testing this with select users, who will find this within the ‘Create’ mode.
This provides a great opportunity for brands to grow and nurture their community. Whether it’s their engaged followers or users mentioning their brand, brands will more easily be able to champion UGC content and influencer partnerships on Instagram Stories.
Quick Bites
Influencer Fraud on the Rise
Report Finds Selfies with Filters Receive Less Engagements
YOUTUBE
YouTube Doubling Original Content In 2020
YouTube has planned more than 100 original series and films to launch on the platform in 2020. In a shift from their initial strategy, YouTube placed it’s original shows in front of their pay-wall, streaming their content with ads instead.
With the platform enlisting celebrities such as Justin Beiber and Paris Hilton to start their own docu-series, the shift in focus to original content is definitely something to monitor throughout 2020.
Quick Bites
Paris Hilton Announces New YouTube Series
TIKTOK
TikTok Signs Deal with Merlin Music
The deal secures tens of thousands of independent label’s and hundreds of thousands of artist’s music to be used on the TikTok platform. The deal covers videos created by TikTok users and sponsored videos created for marketing.
With TikTok being a ‘sound on’ platform, these deals are vital for the development of the platform and it’s growth. The partnership is also huge for Merlin – as seen with the song ‘Old Town Road’, the platform is a great (and fun) way to launch new music with #challenges and generating chart topping success.
Quick Bites
PODCASTS
Spotify is Testing Playlist ‘Stories’
Spotify is testing a new Stories feature that will allow select influencers to incorporate video elements into their public playlists. The first influencer to test the feature is makeup and fashion YouTube star Summer Mckeen, who is using the new feature to introduce a playlist of her all-time favorite songs, titled ‘All Time Besties’.
With brand and influencer collaborations on the rise on Spotify (eg. Lewis Capaldi and Renault Clio), this could add another engaging opportunity for partnerships on the platform.
Quick Bites
A Closer Look at Spotify’s ‘The Car Thing’ Device
SNAPCHAT
NBC Olympics Renews Snapchat Partnership
NBC Olympics will release 70 episodes across four daily shows on Snapchat leading up to, and during the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. They will create two daily highlights shows, which will be updated throughout the day with key moments from Tokyo.
Millennials and Gen Z look to social platforms for news consumption, brands wanting to reach these audiences and join the conversation should be aware of how social platforms are serving Olympic content to users.
Quick Bites
New Snapchat Rival ‘Octi’ Launches AR Social Network
TRENDING THIS WEEK
Dolly Parton Sparks Viral Social Trend
Taylor Swift Launches Miss. Americana Trailer Sending Twitter Into Frenzy
YouTuber Nikkie de Jager Discusses LGBTQ+ on The Ellen Show
Greta Thunberg Blasts Trump Over Fossil Fuels
The Doomsday Clock Hits 100 Seconds to Midnight
Get in touch with our social experts at teamsocial@thinkjam.com
