Facebook Adds Live-streaming, but Only If Youre Famous

rock live mentions broadcastWith apps like Meerkat and Periscope drawing both public interest and marketer attention, it was only a matter of time before Facebook introduced its own live-streaming solution. Today, the social network has launched Live, a new feature for its Mentions app that will enable celebrities to broadcast live video.

The Mentions app is intended to make it easier for athletes, musicians, politicians and other public figures to connect with their fans and each other, and the new Live feature will enable them to broadcast live videos onto the News Feed of users who have liked their dedicated page.

Users can comment on, like or share the videos during their broadcast, and will also be informed when their friends or other public figures they follow start watching the same video.

Among the initial public figures who will be making use of the Live feature are Martha Stewart, Serena Williams, Michael Bublé and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Facebook is hoping that by tapping into their existing network of fans, it will encourage celebrities to make use of Live as opposed to apps like Periscope or Meerkat.

Another unique selling point is that the videos will remain accessible on celebrities pages, as opposed to Meerkat (where they disappear straight away) and Periscope (where they vanish after 24 hours). This offers fans who miss the initial live broadcast a chance to catch up at a later date, and continue to share the videos with others.