Despite the success of Stories – amassing more than 300 million daily users – Instagram seems to have no intentions of slowing down, continually seeking to add new layers to users’ experiences. Spotted last week by users in select countries, Instagram Stories’ new “Question” feature allows users to post questions to their followers, who in turn can then type their response directly onto the Story. Currently, any submitted responses will be sent via Direct Message to the original user, rather than appear directly on their story. This latest addition expands on Instagram’s polling feature, and gives users the chance to ask more open-ended questions as well as receive lengthier responses from their followers.
Instagram now lets you group video chat as you browse
Last week, Instagram launched a four-way video chat feature which allows users to call anyone they can direct message by simply hitting the video button in the chat window. While Instagram’s video chat currently only allows up to 4 users to participate (in comparison to 32 for FaceTime, 6 for Facebook, and 16 for Snapchat), it does allow users to minimize their video chat window and continue scrolling through their feed without having to end the call – a useful feature other platforms lack.
A demo of Instagram’s group chat can be found here.
Facebook secures rights to broadcast English Premier League in parts of Southeast Asia
Facebook has just secured broadcast rights to all 380 English Premier League (EPL) football matches in parts of Southeast Asia, commencing in 2019. The social media giant outbid television networks like BeIn Sports and Fox Sports Asia to secure a deal worth over $200 million dollars, expanding their roster beyond an existing partnership with Fox Sports that allows them to stream occasional Champions League games in the US. The mechanics of how users will be able to stream EPL matches through Facebook are still unclear, but with similar competition from “non-traditional” TV platforms like YouTube and Netflix, it’s clear that TV stations are not just getting a run for their money – they’re going to have to think about their survival.
