Dive Brief:
- YouTube is launching a new feature that allows users live stream video from mobile devices, according to a blog post from the company.
- YouTube has already rolled out the feature to a number of YouTube personalities and channels.
- The feature will be more widely available soon.
Dive Insight:
In a bid to play catchup on live streaming video with Facebook and Twitter, YouTube is bringing live streaming video to mobile. YouTube has offered live video streaming on desktop since 2011, but the new feature will allow users to stream right from their phones.
“YouTube mobile live streaming will be baked right into the core YouTube mobile app,” Kurt Wilms, product lead of Immersive Experiences at YouTube, wrote in the blog post. “You won’t need to open anything else, just hit the big red capture button right there in the corner, take or select a photo to use as a thumbnail, and you can broadcast live to your fans and chat in near real time.”
While Facebook and Twitter have been making big moves in live video this year, YouTube aims to differentiate itself with its offering. For starters, YouTube videos will be available through search results outside the app, unlike Facebook Live and Twitter/Periscope live videos, which can only be found within their respective apps right now.
Facebook has been making an especially aggressive push into live video this year after it began offering live streaming video via Facebook Live feature last December. The company recently announced it has signed deals with 140 media companies and celebrities to seed its new streaming video feature with content, while also suggesting that ads could be coming soon to the plaftorm.
Twitter is also looking to bolster its live video presence. The social media platform recently announced a live video button and reports suggest it is close to announcing more live streaming deals, such as sports and political events.
