Dive Brief:
- Facebook has joined Meerkat and (Twitter-owned) Periscope in the live stream video game, but is only rolling the feature out to celebrities.
- According to the social network, just celebrities can access the feature because it is only available through the Mentions mobile app used by verified accounts for managing their profile.
- However, anyone creating a live stream can also save that stream for later viewing on their Facebook pages.
Dive Insight:
Given the popularity of mobile live streaming services, it was probably only a matter of time before Facebook joined the party. It now has, but with one huge caveat – only verified accounts for public figures (think celebrities) can use the new feature. Live streaming is restricted because it is only available through the Mentions mobile app used by verified public figure accounts to manage those profiles.
In an email, a Facebook spokesperson explained to Ad Age, “We know that public figures want the option to share live video with their fans, and that people want to watch videos and engage with the public figures that interest and inspire them. We'll be listening to feedback from both people and public figures as we continue to evolve this product.”
The live streaming feature is called “Live” and will show up in users’ news feeds if they follow begins live-streaming video. User’s more engaged with those celebrity profiles will get notifications about live stream broadcasts as well.
Earlier this summer, (now rival) Meerkat added a Facebook login option for its users, which allows users to automatically follow their Facebook friends and pages on the app -- and it allows Meerkat to connect with network's social graph. Meerkat rose in popularity quickly following its SXSW (South by Southwest) debut in March, only to be cut off from being able to automatically have Twitter users follow their connections on the app after Twitter launched its own video streaming platform Periscope.
The launch of Facebook's own live stream follows the social network's recent addition of animated gifs (short, silent-loop videos) to its news feed, which when added were also exclusive and unavailable to marketers and brands.