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Instagram rolls out live video

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 13 Dec 2016
Facebook-owned Instagram will begin rolling out live video. Unlike its parent company, the broadcasts disappear afterwards.
Facebook-owned Instagram will begin rolling out live video. Unlike its parent company, the broadcasts disappear afterwards.

Facebook-owned picture-sharing platform Instagram has announced its new ephemeral live broadcast feature will begin roll-out today.

The live videos are similar to other services like Twitter's Periscope and messages on rival SnapChat, as after they are viewed, they disappear forever. However, unlike SnapChat, these videos are automatically broadcast to all followers.

Instagram says: "Live video on Instagram Stories helps you connect with your friends and followers right now. When you're done, your live story disappears from the app so you can feel more comfortable sharing anything, anytime."

To make use of the feature, users tap the "Start Live Video" button when the camera is open in the app. Users can broadcast video for up to an hour; their followers will get a notification when they go live so they can tune in. While live, users can pin a comment for everyone to see or turn comments off altogether.

Users are able to find trending live broadcasts in the Explore section of the app.

Live video on Instagram Stories and Explore will be rolling out globally over the next few weeks.

Roll-out will begin in the US, and other regions will follow in the coming weeks.

In August, Instagram introduced Instagram Stories, which allow users to post pictures and videos that disappear after 24 hours, similar to SnapChat stories. Instagram has said over 100 million people now use the feature every day.

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