Just in case you foresee yourself stranded on Mars and needing to make a daily video log à la Matt Damon in The Martian, Facebook's new option to stream live video from a desktop browser has you covered.
The feature, rolling out this week, is designed to help broadcasters who need a stable camera setup for recording videos of themselves talking. It's just for Pages, though; you won't be able to broadcast from your browser if you've only got an individual account.
Browser support for live video came along with a slew of other enhancements designed to help Facebook Live appeal to professional broadcasters in addition to smartphone-wielding streamers. Among them is a simplified process for managing Live permissions. Admins will now be able to dole out "Live Contributor" permission in Pages, which lets people go live on behalf of a Page without being an admin themselves.
There are also enhanced video metrics for public figures like celebrities, politicians, and journalists who frequently go live from their profiles. Anyone with 5,000 or more followers will now be able to see statistics like total minutes viewed, total number of views, as well as total reactions, comments, and shares. To access them, you'll need Facebook's separate Mentions mobile app.
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Finally, broadcasters will get the ability to pin comments during a video, create permalinks to live video feeds, and post a completed video to multiple Pages at the same time.
Live video on Facebook has exploded in popularity since it was introduced in 2015, and it's reportedly been very profitable for the company, too. This week's updates make it clear that Facebook thinks of Live video as a tool for professional broadcasters as much as—or perhaps more than—a way for average users to connect with their friends.
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