Facebook's live streaming is available to all verified pages

Facebook Live, the social network's version of Periscope, was already available for "public figures." Now, the folks in Menlo Park are giving all verified pages the chance to employ the tool. This means that you can expect more brands, sports teams and web personalities to begin live streaming with the help of the Facebook iOS app. Live videos allow Mark Zuckerberg & Co. to take on the likes of Twitter when it comes to breaking news and live event coverage.

If you'll recall, Facebook lets you subscribe to a Page so you'll be notified when that account is broadcasting. When it comes to good old fashioned news coverage, this is the latest expansion of Facebook's efforts. This year, the company debuted Instant Articles and a Notify app to keep you up to date on the latest headlines. If celebs, journalists and others can make their announcements and cover events as they happen, there's no doubt the social network is hoping you'll spend more time browsing that News Feed. For a brief look at Live, check out the red carpet coverage from last month's Hunger Games premiere.