Instagram Launches Live Rooms: What You Need To Know

Instagram, owned by Facebook, Inc. FB, announced Monday the rollout of a new feature.

What Happened: Instagram introduced Live Rooms, which will allow up to three people go live. Before this, the photo and video sharing platform permitted only one-on-one livestreaming.

"We hope that doubling up on Live will open up more creative opportunities — start a talk show, host a jam session or co-create with other artists, host more engaging Q&As or tutorials with your following, or just hang out with more of your friends," Instagram stated in the blog post announcing the launch.

Live Rooms, the platform said, provides additional avenues for earning money, as it allows viewers buy badges for the host and use other interactive features, such as shopping and live fundraisers.

Instagram said it is also working on more interactive tools such as offering moderator controls and audio features.

Live Rooms will be soon available globally, the platform said.

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To start a Live Room, the user has to swipe left and pick the Live camera option, type in a title, and then tap the Rooms icon to add guests. The user can connect people who have requested to go live or search for a guest to add.

For ensuring safety and privacy, people blocked by any of the participant in the Live Rooms will not be allowed to join. Additionally, guests who have had live access revoked because of violations of Instagram's community guidelines won't be able to join a Live Room, the company said.

Why It's Important: Instagram has not been proactive in introducing new functionalities features in the past. However, in August it added Reels, a rival offering to TikTok.

Instagram Reels allows creators to record videos up to 15 seconds and add popular music. Since then, it has released several updates to increase the attractiveness of the feature.

Live Rooms rollout is seen as a move to emulate the success of Clubhouse, an invitation-only audio-chat iPhone App launched in April 2020, which has soared in popularity. The app allows its users to tune in to live shows, chat sessions, and interviews by famous personalities.

(Photo: Instagram)