Facebook takes the battle to Zoom, lets Messenger Rooms broadcast through Live

A video call on Messenger Rooms can now be broadcast live on Facebook with the same 50-user call limit and the host controlling who can be removed.

When a Room goes ‘Live’, those on the call will have to opt in to be a part of it and also have the option to leave the call before the broadcast starts. (Facebook)

Zoom became the platform of choice for most people as the pandemic began since it had a whole bunch of great features on offer. But over time now, other video conferencing platforms, that have been around longer than Zoom, have been adding new features to their arsenal and catching up.

The latest addition made to take it up with Zoom is a feature that Facebook added to its Messenger Rooms. While this may not immediately mean more usage for the messaging platform, it does translate to more engagement while using Messenger Rooms.

Facebook announced that Messenger Rooms users can now broadcast that Room's chat to Live. Facebook's Live feature lets people broadcast directly through Groups, Pages, and on individual timelines through their profiles. Messenger Rooms allows users to get on calls with up to 50 people via a link, you don't need to have a Facebook or a Messenger account to get on the call.

This new Facebook Rooms via Live will still have the call host calling the shots. As earlier, 50 people can join using the link and the host can remove people if needed.

So what changes? Once calls go ‘live' it essentially means that it is being carried out “on a stage” and is being watched by others as they would have been watching a Live broadcast if it was posted by the host. When a Room goes ‘Live', those on the call will have to opt in to be a part of it and also have the option to leave the call before the broadcast starts.

The Messenger Rooms saw a limited rollout at the end of April this year and globally later in June. The main idea was to take on Zoom and make the most of more and more people turning to video conferencing to stay connected through the global lockdown. While Zoom dealt with its share of controversies, Facebook, being Facebook, stepped up with Messenger Rooms to make best of the situation.

Given Facebook already has a huge number of users, it's not sure how many people will pick Messenger Rooms over Zoom, but Zoom should be worried.

Facebook said that this new feature is being rolled out in limited release now and will soon expand globally to everywhere that Messenger Rooms works. The social media platform also added that this is a work in progress and other features coming soon.