Facebook, Messenger to get Telegram-like broadcast channels

Meta founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has announced to bring the Telegram-like “broadcast channels” feature to Facebook and Messenger after rolling it out to Instagram and WhatsApp earlier this year. The feature will be available in the coming weeks, he said. Broadcast channels are already available on WhatsApp and Instagram, so it makes sense for the company to standardise the feature across all its services. It will allow page owners to send updates and announcements directly to their fans and followers.

“Broadcast Channels are coming to Facebook and Messenger in the coming weeks. Pages will be able to share voice notes, text, photos/videos, and GIFs with anyone who joins their channels,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

With this feature, creators and public figures can engage directly with their followers. Broadcast channels allow only the channel creator to send messages, but viewers can respond to these messages and vote in polls. “We’re currently testing the ability for Pages to create broadcast channels and expect to roll this out in the coming weeks. Anyone on Facebook can join these broadcast channels to stay up to date on the latest from their favourite Pages,” Meta said in a blog post.

If the option to create channels is available, users who maintain a Facebook Page can start a channel directly from their Page. After they’ve created a broadcast channel and shared their first message, their followers will receive a one-time invitation to join. Users can join broadcast channels straight from a Page’s profile on Facebook, and they will be notified whenever a message is posted. Netflix, Hrithik Roshan, WWE, League of Legends, and the International Cricket Committee are among the broadcast channels that are currently live on Facebook and Messenger.

— Written with inputs from IANS