Tumblr to launch its own video streaming service similar to Facebook Live

Starting today, users on Tumblr will be able to stream live video in their posts through YouTube, YouNow, Upclose, and Kanvas, all of which are free downloads (though iOS users will have to wait a couple more days to livestream from YouTube, according to Tumblr).

The company recently set up a new Tumblr account called Live Video, which promises to officially launch on June 21.

Some of the streams, which seems to start at 4:00PM EST, include inflating a large object in a small room, a live question and answer session with Adam J. Kurtz and a live broadcast from the surface of Mars. In addition, Facebook is paying the New York Times $3.03 million and CNN $2.5 million.

Like a little kid tagging along after its siblings, Tumblr has decided it wants to join the fun with live video too. Any video that is now broadcasting live also has the benefit of getting directly pinned to the top of the users feed, so everyone can see it immediately while viewing the profile. Thanks to the services it is integrating with, Tumblr’s live video is also available across multiple platforms, which is good new for the site, as it has been struggling to match the growth of other social networks with a strong mobile presence like Facebook and Twitter.

A spokeswoman from Facebook acknowledged the video posting, saying it does not violate company policy.

Video streaming has gained another social channel, in Tumblr. During a Facebook town hall at the end of February, Zuckerberg said that live video was one of the things he was “most excited about”.

It’s unclear if the live video feature will be a native part of Tumblr’s technology, or if it’s a tool that takes advantage of the existing live video tools in the marketplace, according to TechCrunch.

The Facebook Live video appears to show Perkins recording himself and a group of people in front of a row of homes before someone opened fire. The company is already is already has an ad partnership with search giant Google signed previous year. If you share a video while it is being broadcast, then followers will also be notified about the stream.

Tumblr, which is owned by Yahoo, has around 555 million visitors a month and more than 300 million active blogs.