Facebook has announced it is now enabling Live Video streaming and/or sharing for iPhone users in the US. This can be considered as a direct fallout of the recent move by Twitter wherein users of the Periscope app on the iPhone are now empowered to streaming directly from their GoPro devices.
Facebook has further stated the feature will be extended to all users worldwide. With 1.55 billion monthly active users, this surely will make for a whole new level of experience for users of the popular social media platform.
So far, Facebook live video streaming tool was available to a small group of noted personalities in the US since summer last year. The service has now been rolled out to every iPhone user in the US. Among the celebrities that have been enjoying the privilege include the likes of Serena Williams, Martha Stewart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and so on.
Users who wish to stream live video will have to tap on Update Status and select Live Video icon. Users can type a short description of the video followed by the targeted audience that they wish to make the video available to before starting with the actual streaming. Friends who join in during the broadcasting can also comment on the video. The number of live viewers along with the name of the friends who had joined in is all listed below. The video then gets saved in the user’s timeline.
Live video streaming seems to be picking up big time right now with YouTube being the other major player in the segment. The site which is almost synonymous with online video sharing supports live streaming as well. In fact, the YouTube team has put in place a robust infrastructure to enable live streaming with the least hiccups, like capturing the stream twice just to ensure lag-free streaming just in case one stream goes offline and so on.
Among the others in the fray include Periscope with a user base of 10 million which the app claims to be viewing 40 years’ worth of video every day. Meerkat too is in the business but hasn’t divulged any figures so far. Twitch, owned by Amazon too is another significant player in the business but is yet to offer live streaming service.
Meanwhile, exciting times ahead for Facebook addicts.
