The Google-owned video giant announced Thursday it is finally offering live streaming on its mobile app.
The news, dropped during YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki’s keynote at VidCon, comes after months of speculation. It positions YouTube to directly compete with not just Facebook, but also Periscope, Meerkat and a handful of other live streaming platforms that have popped up in the last year.
The new app will give users the ability to live stream by clicking a red capture button in the corner of the app. They can then take or select a photo to use as a thumbnail, and you broadcast live to fans and chat in near real time.
They’re late to the party but likely to make a large dent. Poor little Meerkat who started all of this must be hurting.