Facebook is giving Pages the option to live-stream from a desktop or laptop. The feature, which the social network began testing in September, is now rolling out more widely — although it is still not available to general users.
Live Video on desktop supports both peripheral cameras, in addition to built-in cameras on laptops, allowing Pages to create a larger variety of content, such as daily vlogs. The feature was first spotted on the Facebook app for Windows 10 in May.
For the uninitiated, Pages basically allow brands, businesses, and public figures to maintain a presence on Facebook that can be managed by multiple account holders. General Facebook users who like a Page can get updates (including notifications for when that page is live-streaming) within their News Feed.
Aside from web streaming, Facebook is also introducing a number of tools for Pages to help increase the reach of their broadcasts. Now, Facebook Page admins will be able to set Live contributors, allowing even more individuals to broadcast Live Video on behalf of a Page. Facebook claims the update is ideal for media industry publishers (a group it is increasingly targeting) looking to cover breaking news events.
Profiles with 5,000 followers or more will also be able to access a set of lightweight insights for Live and regular videos. These metrics will include total minutes viewed, total number of views, and total engagement (reactions, comments and shares). Additionally, aggregated insights will be made available for videos posted over the course of a weeklong, monthlong, or two-month period. These insights will also be rolling out to users of Facebook’s “Mentions” app, which is aimed at celebrities and public figures.
In order to help Pages easily direct viewers to all their video content, Facebook is launching a permalink URL. Viewers who visit the link will be able to watch a live-stream, as well as access previous Live Video streams and general clips all in one location. That’s not all: Pages can now pin relevant comments to the bottom of a live-stream, and cross-post previously recorded live-streams to other Pages that they operate. You can learn more about all the new features here.
