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Periscope videos can now be embedded with a tweet
One key thing was missing from Periscope's live video option: the ability to embed the video streams and archived footage in other places rather than sharing a link. Twitter's livestreaming option is doing something about that today as Periscope videos can now be posted in a tweet. This means that so long as you're willing to embed the tweet than contains the live video, you'll be able to post them wherever you like. The app also got a Highlights feature, but it's different from what Facebook's live videos offer.
YouTube's mobile app will soon support live video streams
Ever since Meerkat bust onto the scene at SXSW in 2015, streaming live video footage from your smartphone has been a huge deal. Twitter's Periscope quickly blew Meerkat out of the water, and Facebook Live has been a huge initiative for the company. Now, YouTube is throwing its hat into the ring: the company just announced that its apps will soon let anyone stream live video to their YouTube channel whenever they want. It's a little surprising that it's taken YouTube so long to get into this business, as the company has supported live broadcasts on the YouTube platform for a long time now. Facebook may have a big advantage, because that's where all of your friends are, but the many creators who have built large and dedicated YouTube followings will surely benefit from this. And it's not hard to imagine plenty of other, less popular users giving YouTube's live video option a shot as well. The company is rolling out the feature today for a small group of its creators, but there's no word yet on when we'll all get a chance to stream live YouTube broadcasts.
Facebook is paying media companies millions to stream live video
Earlier this year, Facebook went all in on Live Video, placing it in a place of prominence in its app as well as promoting it rather heavily on the web. Now it appears that the company is even going so far as paying media companies and celebrities millions of dollars to create live-streaming content. According to a document received by the Wall Street Journal, almost 140 contracts totaling more than $50 million have already been signed.
Tumblr to launch live video with an hour of wacky streams
It seems Tumblr is planning to jump on the live video bandwagon to join Facebook, Twitter and Amazon. The blog platform has posted eight updates on a subdomain that features a logo with the words "Live Video on Tumblr," accompanied by a caption that says, "Launches Tuesday, June 21."
Mark Zuckerberg will use Facebook Live to chat with the ISS
Live video is all the rage for Facebook right now, and next week CEO Mark Zuckerberg will show off the feature with some help from NASA. On Wednesday, June 1st, Zuckerberg will host a 20-minute livestream with NASA astronauts Tim Kopra and Jeff Williams along with the ESA's (European Space Agency's) Tim Peake, all three of whom are currently working onboard the ISS. The trio will take questions submitted to NASA's Facebook page, which is also where the stream will be shown. Things kick off at 12:55 PM ET, so set a reminder if you want to tune in.
Periscope broadcasts are now permanently saved by default
Earlier this month, Twitter's live-streaming app Periscope began testing saving broadcasts for more than 24 hours. During that beta phase, you had to include #save to trigger the feature. Permanent saves are now available for everyone by default, and you won't need to use that hashtag to make it work. Likes and comments are saved along with the video footage, so you'll be able to gauge reactions afterwards as well.
Mom behind most-watched Facebook Live video visits its HQ
It's only been a few months since Facebook opened up live video streaming to everyone, but with over a billion daily users the emergence of a massive hit was inevitable. Late last week an odd yet charming video stream of Candace Payne amusing herself by trying on a Chewbacca mask went viral, and currently stands at 143 million views with more than 3 million reshares. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg that makes her video the most-watched Facebook Live video ever, and just that quickly, she's on the company campus riding bikes with guess who -- Chewbacca.
Facebook Live video replays will highlight the best moments
By now, you've certainly heard about Facebook's live video push. As the company continues to revise the live-streaming feature, new tools are being added on the regular. TechCrunch reports that the social network will soon let viewers skip straight to the good parts when replaying that footage. Based on reactions and comments, Facebook will show you when the best portions of a video take place in the form of a visual timeline.
Facebook launches interactive map for Live Video
Facebook's Live Video feature just got global thanks to an interactive map that's rolling out on the site. If you're looking for a stream from a random stranger you can either choose one from one of the highly ranked clips on the left side of the page, or click on one of the blue dots from everyone else on the digital globe.
Facebook updates Search to better promote Live Video
Following the debut of new Facebook Live features yesterday, the social site announced on Thursday that it is adjusting its Search functionality to help users uncover Live video content more easily. For one, any Live video that's trending will appear in the general search results -- assuming it's relevant to what you're searching for, of course. Facebook is also rolling out a dedicated Live search function that trawls exclusively through video content that's been shared with you.
Facebook pays news outlets to use its live video service
Facebook really, really wants its live video service to be a success -- so much so that it's willing to offer cash to get those streams going. The social network explains to Recode that it's offering a "financial incentive" to some partners to use Facebook Live. It's not naming them, but tipsters say that BuzzFeed, the Huffington Post (one of our sister sites), the New York Times and Vox Media are all on the dole. The terms of the deals are unsurprisingly secret, but the fact that Facebook is offering cash at all is notable. Although the company has clearly been encouraging celebrities to do live broadcasts, it hasn't acknowledged payments until now.
Facebook Live gets a discovery section and instant reactions
Facebook Live is looking to tap its billion-plus user advantage and built-in social and group features to gain an edge on rivals like Periscope. As such, it has revealed live streaming within groups and events, real-time reactions, invitations to watch video with friends and a live map showing video in 60 countries. Later today, the social network will launch the service in LA (on Facebook Live, of course) with appearances by Mark Zuckerberg and product chief Chris Cox. If you've been using Live, Facebook will give you a heads-up as to when to tune in to the broadcasts.
YouTube wants in on the mobile livestreaming game
YouTube Gaming might not be taking off the way Google's video wing expected, but that won't stop the outfit from taking inspiration from another growing video sector. VentureBeat reports that "YouTube Connect" is the video service's attempt at livestreaming a la Periscope and Facebook Live. You can log in with a Google or YouTube account (you haven't merged those yet?), plus there's a built-in news feed, chat and tagging -- but apparently no Facebook or Twitter sharing yet.
Facebook will soon let you turn off all Live Video notifications
Since Facebook opened up its Live Video feature to all users earlier this year, there has been a sharp uptick in the number of folks livestreaming. That's all well and good, but there's currently no way to turn off notifications when a company or friend starts to broadcast. It's particularly annoying if you follow a lot of brands or news outlets looking to take advantage of the platform. Facebook says you won't be inundated with the alerts by default for much longer, though, as the ability to turn off Live Video notifications is on the way "soon."
Facebook's Live Video is rolling out internationally
While Facebook Live Video has been around for a couple of months now, access has been reserved for celebrities, verified profiles, and users in the US. International users won't have long to wait, however, because the social network has confirmed it's begun rolling out the feature globally. The in-app update was released yesterday and we've already had reports of people using Live Video in the UK, Germany, Brazil and South Africa.
Facebook's Live Video simplifies live streaming for everyone
Livestreaming has been around for several years now, but it wasn't until the arrival of mobile apps like Meerkat and Periscope that it caught on. Now Facebook has jumped in on the trend too. Yesterday, the Zuckerberg-owned empire expanded its Live Video feature beyond just celebs and verified pages so that everyone on the social network can get in on the bandwagon. It's only available on iOS for now, though an Android version should soon be on its way. After a few minutes playing with the new feature, I think Facebook's version has one significant advantage over the rest: that it's built into Facebook itself.
Facebook's Live Video is rolling out to all iPhone users
Facebook began testing its Periscope-like Live Video feature back in December. Only celebs and verified pages could get in on the livestreaming action, though, but that's about to change. The social network is rolling out the feature to iPhone users in the US starting today, with a wider release "to the rest of the world" in the weeks to come. To get started, all you have to do is select Update Status and tap on on the Live Video icon. You'll then be able to select your audience and enter a short description before your broadcast begins.
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.
Facebook pokes at Periscope with live video feature
Facebook rolled out a pair of new features on Thursday that position the social network as a breaking news outlet. The first feature, dubbed Live Video, does just that -- enabling users to post and share live video feeds to the site. It appears to be very similar to Periscope's offering with live viewer counts and rolling comment feeds. It is being trialed right now in the US but only for iPhone users.
Twitch streams more live video than the WWE, MLB and ESPN combined
Video games now have more online spectators than traditional sports. Crazy, right? It's crazy. According to Qwilt, a company that provides video caching services to content creators, Twitch is now the most popular live streaming site in the US. The outfit's analytics group says the streaming site is more popular than UStream, the WWE, ESPN and MLB.com combined, owning a massive 43-percent share of all live streaming traffic. It's slightly shocking from a cultural standpoint, but we can't say we're entirely surprised: with the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and even mobile platforms offering average gamers the chance to put on a show, Twitch is hosting more than a million streams per month. There's simply more content: Twitch streams gameplay 24 hours a day. ESPN has to wait for a sporting even to actually happen.
