UPDATED 10:19 EDT / MARCH 24 2017

APPS

Facebook Live takes on Twitch and YouTube with new PC streaming features

Facebook Live has already been a big hit on mobile, and now it looks like the social network is looking to finally expand its livestreaming platform to the personal computer.

Facebook Inc. revealed the new features in a blog post Wednesday by Product Manager Erin Connolly and Software Engineer Jeff Hendy, who explained that desktop streaming offers a few advantages over mobile for certain types of content.

“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,” said Connolly and Hendy.

The simplest way to use the desktop streaming feature is to click on the “Live Video” option at the top of your News Feed or Timeline on the Facebook website, which requires nothing more than a webcam, but Facebook has also made it easier for more serious content creators to stream to Facebook Live using third party streaming programs such as XSplit or Open Broadcaster Software. Facebook has created a step-by-step guide for users interested in using the new desktop streaming features.

“With this update, people can seamlessly share their screens, insert graphics, switch cameras, or use professional equipment in Facebook Live videos,” said Connolly and Hendy. “They also have the option to broadcast to Facebook Groups they belong to, Facebook Events they’re part of, or Facebook Pages they manage.”

Facebook particularly noted that its new streaming features will be useful for gamers and artists, which makes it fairly clear that the social network intends to compete directly with Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch. With more than 2.2 million streamers each month, Twitch is not only the most popular streaming site for gamers, but it is also one of the most popular livestreaming platforms period. With its potential audience of roughly 1.23 billion daily active users, Facebook Live could easily surpass Twitch if its new desktop options can successfully draw streamers.

This would not be the first time Facebook has targeted game streaming. In June, Facebook formed a partnership with “Overwatch” and “Hearthstone” developer Blizzard Entertainment Inc., introducing native Facebook Live support to Blizzard’s desktop client. While this makes streaming Blizzard games incredibly easy, the feature has yet to really catch on with either streamers or viewers, however, and Blizzard games remain one of the mainstays in Twitch’s most-watched titles.

Photo: Facebook

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