Instagram Launches Live Video Broadcasts, Facebook Adds Live 360

Earlier this year Mark Zuckerberg pledged that video, particularly livem would become that linchpin of Facebook and now he's expanded his aspirations to include Facebook owned Instagram.

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Last month Instagram said it would be adding live video broadcasts, and yesterday it made the feature available to all accounts.You can only watch Instagram videos live while they are being streamed – no replays. You'll find them within Instagram Stories by swiping into the camera area and tapping the toggle to enter “Live” mode.

To start a live video:

Tap

in the top left of the screen or swipe right from anywhere in Feed.

Tap Live at the bottom of the screen, then tap Start Live Video. Your followers may be notified when you start a live video.

The number of viewers appears in the top right of the screen, and comments appear at the bottom. Tap Comment to add a comment, and tap and hold a comment to pin it to the top so that viewers can see it more easily.

To turn comments off, tap

then select Turn Off Commenting. Keep in mind that any keyword filters you've turned on will also apply to comments on your live video.

When you're done, tap End in the top right then tap to confirm.

Facebook Live 360 Video

Facebook had a big video announcement of their own yesterday – Live 360. Today, Tuesday, December 13 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET, Facebook will be launching Live 360 video with National Geographic, live from the Mars Desert Research Station facility in Utah.Live 360 video will be available to more Pages via the Live API in the coming months, and rolling out for all Pages and Profiles in 2017.