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E! enhances millennials' TV-watching habits with additive Facebook Live series

E! News is building upon its recent advancements in mobile-first content with a new live streaming slate set to showcase original series on its Facebook Live platform, capitalizing on consumers' growing proclivity toward second-screen engagement.

The television network is continuing its bid to appeal to mobile-savvy millennials by extending its programming to the Facebook Live platform, which enables users to watch fresh content in real-time and interact with the videos by tagging friends or leaving comments. Live streaming has become a rapidly rising area recently, helped in part due to individuals? growing tendencies to consume news content on the mobile channels they frequent the most, which include social media networks.

?[It is important for E! News to foray into live streaming] because this is where people wanting to stay connected to the biggest stories in real-time get the opportunity to not only watch our coverage as it?s happening, but also get to participate with our hosts and other fans,? said John Najarian, executive vice president and general manager of E! News and digital.

?E! News is a gateway to the stories that matter most and we believe our ability to put experts on camera in a high-quality format, at any time, really puts us in a position to be the go to brand for this type of live format,? he said. ?This slate fits perfectly with E! News? strategy of creating and distributing original bespoke content for the biggest, most engaged platforms.?

Multi-screen customized content
The Facebook Live streaming slate consists of original series that will air from Monday through Friday over the course of four weeks. A new series will be introduced every week, culminating with an original program rolling out every weeknight through early September.

This week, E! News kicked off its Facebook Live streaming slate with the Monday premiere of ?TV Therapy,? a series that highlights and discusses the most buzzworthy moments from the week?s television programs.

On Mondays, Facebook Live viewers will be able to enjoy TV Scoop?s Tierney Bricker?s commentary on most-watched shows, such as Real Housewives, in a tone emulating that of a person speaking to their best friend.

On August 16, the subsequent series, titled ?So True, So False,? will begin airing on Tuesdays, enabling pop culture fans on Facebook to interact with one of E! News? most popular segments.

?State Your Case? will air on Wednesday nights, beginning on August 24, and will let fans watch a face-off debate centering on a pop culture topic relevant to that week, such as Emmy nominations versus snubs and the latest eliminations on The Bachelorette.

Every Thursday beginning on September 1, individuals will be able to watch ?Another 15 Minutes," which features a nostalgic look back on viral video moments and reality show stars.

Lastly, September 8 brings about the premiere of the ?E! News Week-cap,? an original series designed to recap daily pop culture and entertainment happenings.

While the streaming will initially take place on Facebook Live only, E! News plans to roll out the live shows on YouTube and Periscope this fall.

Building on previous innovations
E! News has been transforming itself into a multi-platform publisher by establishing a strong presence on television as well as all digital channels.

Several months ago, E! News began improving its video strategy on Instagram with branded clips on the social media platform and by teasing its upcoming news segments with highlights of upcoming content (see story).

The network boasts the most Facebook, Instagram and Twitter followers out of any entertainment news brand, and has a combined social media audience of 26 million fans.

This suggests that other news publishers seeking to ramp up their social media efforts and reach more millennial consumers should follow E! News? strategy of distributing second-screen additive content across mobile platforms.

?Any time you create a real connection with fans of pop culture, you have the opportunity to cement your position and certainly grow your target audience,? Mr. Najarian said. ?E! News is the most followed entertainment news brand in social media across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

?We view this new slate as opportunity to build on and expand our relationship with all pop culture fans.?