In brief: Social media sites such as Facebook have spent years pouring resources into their live video programs, and now it's the turn of LinkedIn to join the party. The Microsoft-owned service is launching the aptly named LinkedIn Live initially as an invite-only beta this week, but only for those users in the US.
As reported by TechCrunch, LinkedIn Live will offer content similar to that found on the business-focused site's newsfeed. Viewers can expect to find events, conferences, earnings calls, awards ceremonies, product announcements, and even Q&A's from influencers, all supported by parent company Microsoft's Azure Media Services.
A couple of examples of these Live Video interactive events include personal finance advisors giving advice to recent grads.
LinkedIn said live streaming had been the site's most requested feature since it introduced native video around 18 months ago. As is the case with live videos on social media platforms such as Facebook, users can "like" videos as they are being broadcast, with the likes floating across the screen. It's also possible to ask questions or offer suggestions in the comments section in real time, with hosts able to moderate and, if necessary, remove inappropriate messages.
The company reportedly wants to avoid packing the site with poor quality, user-generated streams. To this end, it has partnered with several third-party developers of live broadcasting streaming services for creators to work with, which will hopefully result in more polished final products.