Facebook’s Live Video Streaming to clash against YouTube and Twitter’s Periscope

For those who have access to Facebook’s Live Video feature, starting a stream is as easy as posting a status update. But the things have changed and the Live streaming becomes mainstream when it has been integrated into the social media.

“The release of live-video streaming in the main Facebook app is a significant step forward for this fledgling and new type of self-expression”, said Brian Blau, a Gartner analyst who tracks the social media industry. Facebook will also archive the videos, so you can play them back if you missed them live. And it’s done that by simply upgrading its Live Video feature, opening it up to the average Joe instead of restricting it to owners of verified pages.

While a video is being streamed, users can press subscribe and get notifications from the uploader whenever they are live. You can also toggle between the rear and front camera in the middle of recording, by tapping the icon in the top right area. To allow everyone on Facebook to view your videos, select the “Go Live” option.

This move by Facebook is meant to rival Periscope, which is owned by Twitter, after it allowed GoPro owners to livestream using their device. The company has deviated from the idea of launching standalone apps after the success of Messenger and Instagram, as it realized that offering new services on Facebook makes more sense, such as Instant Articles. However, on the other side, Periscope has the discovery features, popular trending live streams kind of options where any user’s live streaming could be spread to the vast crowd across the globe. For starters, the Facebook feature doesn’t show real-time hearts crowding the screen.

Twitter and YouTube beware: Facebook may be late to the game when it comes to live-streaming, but it certainly has the heft to quickly make its presence known. “But it’s also daunting in that Facebook has such as large presence with consumers who may only choose one live video service to use”.