YouTube is finally bringing support for live streaming to its mobile apps. The feature is currently available with select users, but YouTube confirms it will be rolled out globally very soon. With the latest feature, YouTube will be taking on Twitter‘s Periscope and Facebook Live services.
According to YouTube, live streaming from the app will be very easy. To go live, you will have to just hit the “big red capture button” present at the corner and select a photo as a thumbnail, and start the broadcast in real time. The app will also give you the option to add chat while live streaming and notify subscribers when you go live. Since the live streaming is incorporated in the YouTube app itself, it will have all the features that a regular video has like search option, recommendations and playlists and safety from unauthorized users.
YouTube’s live streaming seems highly inspired from Periscope‘s. The chat bubbles appears at the bottom left corner and over the live video feed. Statistics on the total number of people watching the live stream and other insights are shown in the upper left corner. While Periscope has the ‘Finish’ button placed at the bottom right corner, the same button in YouTube’ live stream is on the upper right corner.
YouTube’s desktop version has had live streaming feature since 2011. With growing popularity of smartphones, live streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat became instantly popular. Facebook quickly joined the bandwagon and launched FacebookLive, and has been aggressively pushing this feature over the past few months. From live chats with astronauts to live Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is looking to tap the videos space, wherein Google‘s YouTube has been highly popular. Twitter, on the other hand, has integrated Periscope within its app to make live streaming much easier on its platform.
YouTube still is the largest video sharing network. It will be interesting to see how the Live stream feature helps take on the competition. That said, we are left wondering what took YouTube so long to bring this feature on its mobile apps.
