Facebook raises Periscope challenge with video upgrades

FACEBOOK on Wednesday ramped up its challenge to Twitter-owned Periscope with upgrades to the social network’s live video broadcasting feature.

People using the Live streaming feature at Facebook will be able to “broadcast: to groups at the social network or in scheduled “events.”

Scheduled events can even be used for online question-and-answer sessions.

“We hope this new ability to both broadcast and watch live video within Groups and Events enables people to connect more deeply with their closest friends, family and the communities of people who share their interests,” Facebook product management director Fidji Simo said in a blog post.

Facebook also began letting people replay comments made during live broadcasts or weigh in with reactions such as sad, angry, love, or ‘wow,’ that were launched recently in News Feed.

“Live Reactions appear in real time and disappear quickly so broadcasters and other viewers can get a sense of how people are feeling at different points during the live video – it’s like hearing the crowd applaud and cheer,” Simo said.

Data gathered by Facebook showed that people comment 10 times more often on live videos than on regular videos.

The social network also added filters that let people personalize the look of broadcasts, and planned to add the ability to draw or doodle on videos while they are being streamed live, according to Simo.

Facebook unveiled a section dedicated to live broadcasts and made it simpler to search for video.

People accessing the social network from desktop computers will be able to use a Facebook Live Map providing “a window into what’s happening” in the world of broadcasts.

Facebook Live launched in the middle of last year and was initially limited to celebrities but recently opened to a wider audience of broadcasters.

The service allows members of the social network in 60 countries to use smartphones to live stream video. The new features were being rolled out to Facebook applications tailored for mobile devices powered by Apple of Android software.

Facebook has been working to tune into the growing trend of online video, an area where Alphabet-owned YouTube has dominated.

Celebrities and athletes have used Live to share candid moments and field questions, according to Facebook. Chefs have used Live to provide cooking tips and news agencies have used the service to broadcast breaking stories.

“We’ve been humbled by all the amazing and creative ways that people have used Facebook Live so far,” Simo said.

Simo saw immersive, 360-degree video as being part of a “natural evolution” at Facebook.

source: technology.inquirer.net

YouTube announces shutdown in April Fool’s prank

WASHINGTON – In an elaborate April Fool’s prank, YouTube announced Sunday it was going dark for a decade, and that the site was merely an eight-year contest to find the best video.

“It’s finally time to pick the winner,” YouTube representatives announced in a 3:32 minute video posted on its homepage.


The message was simple: the world’s most popular video-sharing website would close at the end of the day to review all the video submissions it has received over the years, and would announce the best one in 2023.

“We are so close to the end. Tonight at midnight, youtube.com will no longer be accepting entries. After eight amazing years, it is finally time to review everything that has been uploaded to our site and begin the process of selecting a winner,” said Tim Liston, named as “competition director.”

YouTube CEO Salar Kamangar said that “we started YouTube in 2005 as a contest with a simple goal: to find the best video in the world.”

Users have uploaded more than 70 hours every minute to the site, YouTube estimated.

“I encourage everybody to watch as many videos as possible before YouTube deletes everything tonight,” said Antoine Dodson, who became an Internet sensation when a musical version of his 2010 TV interview about a house intrusion was posted on YouTube.
“Distinguished” film critics, YouTube celebrities and some of the site’s “most prolific” commentators are on the judges’ panel, according to Liston.

The Google-owned online video sharing venue said less than two weeks ago that more than a billion people now use YouTube each month, with viewing on smartphones helping drive growth.

The YouTube team noted that nearly one out of every two people on the Internet visits the website, which has grown into a global hit since its launch.

Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion and has yet to disclose whether the service has turned a profit.

YouTube has gradually added professional content, such as full-length television shows and movies to its vast trove of amateur video offerings in a bid to attract advertisers.

source: technology.inquirer.net