Facebook will make its Periscope competitor available to more than just celebrities
Just days after cordoning off its Periscope rival to celebrities, Facebook is set to let more people use the livestremaing service as it looks to secure its slice of the short-form video trend that’s spurring the social media arms race.
The social network’s reversal comes just days after it introduced the Live feature for Facebook Mentions, which it launched about a year ago exclusively for celebrities. However, the business has told Techcrunch that the VIP-only app and consequently the livestreaming service will be rolled out to verified members soon.
It means those Facebook users other than celebrities, such as journalists, will be able to use the service once it launches. But that date remains unknown for now with Facebook tightlipped in order to formulate what appears to be a staggered launch to different types of users.
Some industry observers predicted a wider rollout would be imminent when the service was first announced. By using high profile stars like actor Dwayne Johnson and skier Lindsey Vonn to promoe the service to its wider userbase, Facebook was able to show how it could be used in a very public way.
While it can boast to be the world’s biggest social network, Facebook faces tougher competition for younger audiences from the likes of Snapchat and Whisper. Livestreaming and the popularity of online video offer a promising way for the online business to win over the next generation of social media users.