Facebook Live is set to make a splashy launch of new sharing- and discovery-centric features with appearances by Mark Zuckerberg and product chief Chris Cox. The social network is looking to tap its billion-plus user advantage and built-in social and group features to gain an edge on rivals like Periscope . As such, it has revealed new features like live streaming within groups and events, real-time reactions, invitations to watch video with friends and a live map showing video in 60 countries. The biggest and most logical feature is the ability to broadcast live within groups and events . If you’re putting on a concert, race or charitable event, for example, it makes infinite sense to be able to stream key moments to members. You’ve already got a captive audience, so friends and family who are subscribed but can’t make it in person can still experience the fun at a distance. If you feel the need to express yourself without commenting, Facebook also revealed live reactions for videos. As shown above, you can drop in one of the new emoticons (love, haha, wow, sad or angry) with each popping up on the screen in real time. In addition, if you’re only able to catch a Facebook Live replay, you’ll see comments and reactions pop up during the video as if it were live. On the discovery side, Facebook unveiled “Live Video Destinations” on mobile. That’s a dedicated section where you can find popular streams and live video from friends or folks and topics you’re interested in. It lets you search live and recorded videos and stream your own instantly with a “go live” button. Desktop users, meanwhile, get “Facebook Live Map, ” a button that helps you find live video in 60 countries around the world. If you want watch with a friend, every stream now gets an “invite” button, as well. Facebook may have jumped late into live video well after rivals like YouTube, Periscope and Meerkat, but it’s certainly a high priority now. The company pushes live video to the top of your feeds and notifies you about new streams, though you can now turn those off , thankfully. With product head Chris Cox and Zuck himself involved in the latest Facebook Live feature push, expect live streams to become an even larger part of your feeds. The features will roll out over the next few weeks.
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Facebook Live gets a discovery section and instant reactions
