Facebook's New Live Video Policy: What Creators Must Know Now

Facebook just announced a major change to how they handle live video storage, and it's important for business owners to understand what this means for their content.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming changes and how to protect your valuable live video content.

The Big Change

Starting today,  February 19th, 2025, Facebook is implementing a 30-day storage limit for all live video content. This is a significant shift from their previous policy of indefinite storage, and it affects both new and existing live videos.

What This Means for Creators

If you're regularly using Facebook Live for your business or community, here's what you need to pay attention to:

For New Live Videos (After February 19th):

• Your live broadcasts will be available for replay, download, and sharing for 30 days
• After 30 days, videos will automatically be removed from Facebook
• No option to extend storage beyond the 30-day limit

For Existing Live Videos:

• All live videos older than 30 days will be removed
• Facebook will notify you via email and in-app before deletion
• You'll have a 90-day grace period to take action once notified

How to Prepare

Facebook is rolling out new tools to help creators manage their content. When you receive the notification, you'll have three options:

1. Download videos directly to your device
2. Transfer them to your cloud storage
3. Convert them to reels (perfect for repurposing your best live content!)

What Should You Do Now?

1. Audit Your Content: Review your existing live videos and identify which ones you want to keep
2. Create a Storage Plan: Decide where you'll store your archived content
3. Set Up a New Strategy: Plan how you'll handle future live videos knowing about the 30-day limit

Looking Forward

This change reflects broader industry trends in video storage policies. While it might seem challenging at first, it's an opportunity to be more intentional about your live video strategy and content management.

Remember: The most engagement on live videos happens within the first few weeks anyway. Focus on making your live content count in that critical window, and have a plan for preserving or repurposing your best performing content.

Keep an eye on your notifications and act quickly when you receive the alert about your archived content. Those 90 days will go by faster than you think!