Facebook Live Mentions Open to All for Live Video

Just a few months ago, Facebook introduced the new “Live Mentions” feature to the world. In essence, it’s the ability to broadcast live streaming videos, which until now were only available to celebrities with verified profiles on the social network. Thanks to the notification system, fans of a specific page are alerted when a prominent figure starts a live streaming video broadcast. This allows them to “tune in” to that page and that particular video, following the live stream. The content then remains available online for “deferred” viewing – so to speak – making it possible to rewatch it or catch up later if you weren’t connected at the time of the live broadcast. The feature, highly appreciated and used with great simplicity by various celebrities and famous personalities, has now undergone a transformation: the Facebook staff has decided to roll out the experimentation on a large scale. This means that Facebook Live Mentions has become a live video sharing option open to everyone. At the time of writing, the feature has been made available to iOS users in the United States. Android users, however, will have to wait a few more weeks: it is estimated that the new feature will arrive on devices running Google’s operating system within the first few months of 2016.

Facebook’s strategy appears quite clear: to provide its users with a fast, intuitive tool integrated into the social network, who – at this point – will no longer need to use third-party apps like Meerkat and Periscope. These two, in fact, currently represent the major players in this new, evolving landscape. Facebook’s move, however, opens up a competition that already looks fierce.