Facebook enters live video streaming. Will live streaming become a new trend?

Apple held its autumn new product launch conference on the 9th, and technology enthusiasts from all over the world watched the conference through live video on the Internet. Although there was no traditional TV live broadcast, Apple's new products were delivered to users in the first place through live video. Obviously, online live video is becoming more and more common. Previously, social networks such as YouTube and Twitter in the United States have also begun to allow users to broadcast personal videos to the world through smartphone cameras.

Finally, Facebook, the world's largest social network, has also become restless about live video broadcasting. Recently, it announced that it would first provide live video broadcasting to some certified journalists, who will be able to provide live news broadcasting to more than one billion Facebook users around the world when major news events occur.
This also means that traditional TV stations, which are known for their fast live broadcasts, are further impacted by Internet video live broadcasts.


Previously, Facebook had launched an exclusive application software "Mentions" for certified celebrity users, which allows celebrities to publish content, cultivate fans, and pay attention to comments about themselves on social networks. This software has nothing to do with most ordinary Facebook users.
According to the US technology news website "Wired", Facebook recently announced that the Mentions software will expand its functions and will be open to a group of journalists, experts and other groups who have passed manual verification. Journalists can use this tool to broadcast breaking news on the spot to all Facebook users and disclose insider investigative news. In addition, celebrity users can also conduct online Q&A with fans through live video broadcasts.
The popularity of live video is rising rapidly, and platforms such as YouTube have long entered the live broadcast business of traditional TV stations, such as broadcasting major music festivals or events to netizens.
In the past six months, two mobile video live streaming tools have emerged in the United States and are popular among mobile phone users. They are Periscope, which was acquired by Twitter, and its competitor Meerkat. In short, people can use mobile phones and Internet video channels to launch global live broadcasts. When talking about the news video live streaming service, Vadim Lavrusik, product manager of Mentions under Facebook, said that Facebook hopes to provide journalists with a better service platform in terms of news reporting and enhancing connections with news audiences.
Previously, Mentions was mainly launched for verified celebrity users, which disappointed some ordinary netizens and the tool did not have much success. Now Facebook has decided to increase the user base and bring in journalists and experts, and the use of this software will also expand.
As for who can get certified and use this tool to broadcast news live, Facebook said that anyone can apply and the website will conduct manual review.
It is worth noting that Mentions was released in 2014, when live video streaming based on smartphones was not yet popular. In the United States, Meerkat was the first to ignite the live streaming market, making a big splash at the Southwest by Southwest conference, which focuses on music and technology. Twitter then urgently acquired Periscope, which had not yet released its product.
In addition, mobile phone-based live video streaming has become popular in Silicon Valley and has begun to spread in the United States, but this application has not yet been popularized worldwide.
As we all know, Facebook has 1.5 billion active users worldwide, and it has a unique advantage in promoting live video.
For users, if live video content is added, the news they see in the traditional information flow will bid farewell to the simple text and picture mode and become richer. This will further extend the user's stay time on Facebook.
It is reported that, like the United States, smartphone-based video live streaming tools have already appeared in the Chinese market, but they are still in the early stages of development.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.