You can now do directly on Instagram for up to four hours

In front of the growth challenge by TikTok and the adoption of platforms de streaming during the pandemic, Facebook does not want to miss a single opportunity to boost the use of its platforms, and its current goal is to improve the live experience on Instagram.

Facebook's visual social network has announced some changes in live broadcasts on Instagram which aim to facilitate the transmission and use of the generated files.

Now, direct ones on Instagram can last up to four consecutive hours

The most important change in broadcasts live on Instagram is that now streamers will no longer be limited to 60-minute broadcasts , since the platform extended this range to four hours of live broadcast.

https://twitter.com/instagram/status/1321107756494049283

Another change is that the users will also be able to see their own feeds en direct in a private file, similar to what you can now have in Stories and Posts. You can access the file up to 30 days after it has been issued. And if you want to use it on another platform, you can also choose to download the file that was generated after the transmission.

In addition to these improvements, Instagram has added a "Live Now" section at IGTV, where users can find content to watch live at that time.

The momentum of live video in the pandemic era

Instagram is betting on strengthening its live broadcasts because it is a format that has increased its use due to confinement that the pandemic has caused around the world.

The company claims that offering longer duration for live broadcasts "can help users who use this type of content instead of video conferences, as in the case of gymnasiums and personal trainers who offer classes via the social network ”.

In addition, being able to access the files of these live broadcasts is essential for many of their users who will be able to monitor their content and also offer it to those who were unable to log in in time.

Instagram could be competition from YouTube and other live streaming services

Of course, the offer of live shows on Instagram is very small when compared to other platforms like YouTube or even Twitch, which every day has more players and users sharing content.

However, Instagram does offer a service that, in because of its ease, anyone can use, which is very widespread among its growing number of users. It is not necessary to have great technical knowledge to perform a decent live broadcast with good reach, which the platform can surely take advantage of in its favor and become a direct competitor for these services.

In addition, by allowing users to stream longer live videos, this will also increase the time they spend on your platform, especially since there are shows that users cannot watch at any other time or place.

The extension of the duration of the direct is available to all Instagram users worldwide, but will have a limitation, as users who have a history of violating Instagram's policies, including copyright infringement, will not be able to start these long streams on Instagram.