The ability to live-broadcast video to followers and friends on social media has made its way to all corners of major social networking platforms. This week, Facebook and Twitter added options that will let users use the feature from desktop computers and other devices.
Facebook Live was launched in August 2015, originally only for public figures and celebrities, through its Mentions app. It was then expanded to all users in the US in December of the same year, and made its way to SA in February last year.
Until now, the feature was only available to mobile users. This week, the company announced it would be available to desktop and laptop users.
"While it's been possible for people to go live to Facebook from mobile devices since last year, desktop or laptop computers provide a stable camera setup that can be beneficial to many types of Facebook Live broadcasts ? from Q&As to vlogs to tutorials to any broadcast from someone who isn't on the move," Facebook said in a blog post.
This move puts Facebook in direct competition with gaming live-broadcasting platform Twitch and Google's YouTube.
A step-by-step guide to using the new feature on desktop can be found here.
Real-time drone view
Meanwhile, Twitter's mobile-based live-broadcasting app Periscope has announced an API which will let developers create software that will allow users to live-broadcast video from GoPro cameras, drones, 360-degree cameras and other external sources.
Last year, the company launched Periscope Producer that allowed broadcasters to connect external devices such as professional cameras and production software to Periscope. Partners included Bloomberg, NewsHour and WildEarth.
Twitter says the number of broadcasts using Periscope Producer has nearly doubled quarter-over-quarter.
The new Periscope Producer API enables third-party applications to authenticate Periscope accounts, configure streams, start and stop broadcasts and publish broadcasts to Twitter.
The company says a number of beta partners have already made use of the API, including Wirecast, Mevo, Switchboard Cloud and Teradek.
Developers can sign-up for access to the API here.
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