In April, Facebook introduced a video conference platform called Messenger Rooms with support for up to 50 participants. Now, the company is bringing in a new feature to livestream group video calls.
Prior to this, live broadcasts on Facebook had the option to add only a single participant. Google Meet and Zoom already have a similar feature in their products. Furthermore, anyone can use a third-party tool like OBS to share group video calls live on virtually any service.
For the Messenger Room users, there will be an option to make the group video calls livestream directly to their Profile, Page, or Group. Now, anyone can watch the group discussion without directly participating.
Group video call livestream feature is currently limited to web
The room creator can only make the decision to live broadcast the group video call. Before going live, all participants will get a notification either to agree to go live or to leave the video call. During the live broadcast, the room creator can add or remove participants at any time.
In the same way, room participants can leave the live broadcast any time they want. The popularity of video meetings skyrocketed as people are practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this new feature, Messenger Rooms can become a virtual alternative for conducting events and concerts.
However, we can expect people to find even more creative ways to use this new feature. As of now, this new feature is only available in selected countries and is limited to just Facebook and Messenger websites. The company has mentioned expanding very quickly to all countries where Messenger Rooms is available.
Additionally, the live broadcast feature will soon be integrated into Facebook and Messenger mobile/desktop apps. According to Facebook, the number of live broadcasts in June this year has doubled compared to the same period last year. Besides, we can only expect these numbers to grow further post the pandemic.
Unlike the free version of Zoom, there is no time limit for group video calls on Messenger Rooms. Moreover, users can also join Messenger Rooms without the need of singing into their Facebook or Messenger account.
Obviously, only logged-in users can host group calls. Also, these calls made through Messenger Rooms are not end-to-end encrypted. However, the company has mentioned that it will be working on bringing in more enhancements over the coming months.