It seems that video is rising as the king of content. Facebook has recently announced the addition of 360 video to the Facebook Live experience.
Facebook launched the first live 360 video in partnership with National Geographic, as scientists emerged from 80 days of total isolation in pods at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah. The live 360 video broadcast included a behind-the-scenes look at the facility and interviews with experts.
Over a year ago, Facebook introduced their Live feature, which first became available to celebrities and other public figures. Since then, Facebook Live has been rolled out to all users and has received new features and several updates. Meanwhile, Facebook’s 360 videos were also introduced more than a year ago and new tools have been developed to help creators in publishing their 360 videos.
With the introduction of these two video features, it seems that the path to integrating them was inevitable. According to Facebook:
“Live video on Facebook gives people an immediate, authentic window into what’s happening in the world right now; 360 video immerses viewers fully into the scene, letting them explore on their own and experience a new environment. We’re excited to combine these two formats with Live 360 video. Live 360 transports people into new experiences—right as they happen.”
Facebook’s introduction of live 360 videos comes at the heels of YouTube’s 4K 360 live streaming which was launched just last month. YouTube has been supporting 360-degree live streaming since April this year. It looks like the battle for 360 videos and live streaming is ongoing.
Live 360 videos will be available in the next few months to more Pages through the Live API and Facebook plans to roll out the feature to all users in 2017. It would be interesting to see how marketers and advertisers will use Facebook’s live 360 video to reach consumers as the demand continues for engaging, immersive, and interactive content.
What are your thoughts on the introduction of Facebook 360 live video? Share them in the comments below.
Image Credits
Featured Image: Photo from Facebook
