Facebook updates Live Video, to pay media companies to use the service

Facebook Live rolled out as a way of sharing a moment “live” with everyone on Facebook. It’s a compelling platform and, as Mark Zuckerberg himself pointed out , a great way to share a moment as it happens, especially with 360 degree video and maybe even 3D. Updates to the Live feature of section are to be rolled out shortly. Unfortunately for us, Live video is currently limited to the US and Facebook Mentions (restricted to certain verified accounts). Still, Zuckerberg is very bullish on the service and hopes to roll it out worldwide very soon. Groups and Events  This is an obvious update when you think about it. Live for Groups and Events on Facebook will let you share a live video only to a particular group or to members who’ve RSVPed to an event that you’re hosting. With this update you won’t have to let all and sundry in on your private, live moment (as paradoxical as that may sound) and can limit the moment to say your close friends and family groups. The same applies to events. Live Reactions  An interesting feature, borrowed straight from Periscope we might add, is the ability to react Live. Facebook says it’s akin to a round of applause. You use the newly introduced Facebook Reactions to react to the video and every Reaction is rewarded with a little animation on the video itself. The animations are short and will not intrude too much, says Facebook. Comments will also be visible in real-time (duh), and facebook says that “people comment more than 10 times more on Facebook Live videos than on regular videos.” As a bonus, comments will be played back in real-time when the video is viewed later in a bid to make a viewer “feel” as if he was “in” on the action. Live Invitations  You will now be able to invite friends to a live event that you’re viewing. Facebook’s mobile app will be updated to present a dedicated tab for discovering Live videos. At the same time, the desktop app will feature a periscope-esque map of the world that will show Live events happening on Facebook in real-time. You’ll be able to browse the events, click on places, expand the events and dive-in and out of events at will. The Verge reports that Facebook hasn’t just stopped there. They’re paying broadcasters outright to stream Live videos and are also working on content plans. Currently, the service doesn’t support ads, so the dangling carrot is necessary. The Verge points out that services like Periscope don’t currently pay broadcasters on their service, making Facebook Live seem like a more enticing option, in the short run at least.