A year's worth (almost) of Facebook Live video at RNC, DNC
Facebook says users used its platform to broadcast 8,500 hours of video during the Republican and Democratic conventions.
Facebook is probably doing a happy dance right now.
The social network on Tuesday reported that users streamed 8,500 hours, which works out to 356 days, of video on Facebook Live over the course of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions last month.
"We saw extraordinary use of Facebook Live during the conventions," said a Facebook spokesman in an emailed statement. "People across the country and around the world who were unable to travel to Cleveland or Philadelphia were able to experience the conventions."
Facebook Live videos from the conventions -- everything from prime-time speeches to behind-the-scenes tours -- were viewed 120.3 million times, the company said. The platform's popularity during the DNC and RNC underscores the general rise of live video on social media.
In a blog post, the social network highlighted examples of Facebook Live videos created by the media, including ABC News discussing the RNC from a barbershop in Cleveland and AJ+ talking to Bernie Sanders delegates as they walked out of the DNC.
Facebook wasn't the only site raking in video streams during the conventions. YouTube said more than 9 million people viewed its live RNC and DNC coverage, and CNET's Maggie Reardon streamed the DNC on Periscope.