Facebook allows users to broadcast live large video calls
[CALIFORNIA] Facebook said on Thursday it was rolling out a feature that would allow users to broadcast live a video call with up to 50 people.
Users can invite people to join "Messenger Rooms", including those who do not have a Facebook account, for group video calls and then broadcast the room live on any profile, page or group on the platform, the company said.
The move bolsters Facebook's efforts to grab a share of the coronavirus-driven boom in demand for video conferencing services, which has turned Zoom Video Communications into a household name.
Other technology companies have rolled out similar features to attract users, with Alphabet's Google allowing users to host free video conferences on Meet.
Facebook said it was rolling out the feature in some countries on its platform and Messenger web starting Thursday and would soon expand to all countries where Messenger Rooms was available.
Live broadcasts from Facebook pages doubled in June compared with a year earlier due to a jump in livestreams since March, when several countries began imposing lockdowns and social distancing measures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
REUTERS
KEYWORDS IN THIS ARTICLE
BT is now on Telegram!
For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes
Technology
Meta’s results are best viewed through rose-tinted AI glasses
'Harvesting data': Latin American AI startups transform farming
After long peace, Big Tech faces US antitrust reckoning
Tech’s cash crunch sees creditors turn ‘violent’ with one another
Tech millionaires chase billionaire tax shields with ‘swap fund’
Elon Musk’s Starlink profits are more elusive than investors think