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Report: Skip Ahead to Best Parts of Facebook Live Videos

The social network will also reportedly add the ability to live stream for hours on end for things like animal cams.

 & Stephanie Mlot Contributor

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Facebook is going all-in on live video, and it has a few tricks up its sleeve intended to get you to watch even more, according to TechCrunch.

According to the site, upcoming changes include the ability to skip ahead to the good parts of recorded video and the ability to live stream for hours on end for things like animal cams.

Facebook Live users are currently limited to 90-minute streams, but TechCrunch says the social network's new Continuous Live Video API allows for persistent streams. The catch: you can't save or share the video stream after it's done.

Aimed at professional broadcasters, the Continuous Live API features geogating—the ability to restrict video streams to a specific location. That's handy, TechCrunch notes, when targeting particular viewership areas or operating on limited broadcast rights. The same goes for controlling which age groups can see Live Video marketing.

Professional broadcasters aren't the only ones using Facebook Live, of course. And some users still need a little media training and can take a few minutes to warm up. Facebook feels your pain, so it will soon allow people to skip ahead to the best parts of Facebook Live streams. Users can see when a video received the most engagement, which is usually a good indicator of entertaining content, TechCrunch says.

Facebook did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

If you're looking for a tech-related Facebook Live stream, be sure to watch PCMag's Random Access. Live from our labs each morning at 10 a.m. ET, we discuss the top news of the day and show off the latest gadgets. (Yesterday's episode is embedded below.) Mobile fans, meanwhile, can check out Dialed In every Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET for a glimpse at the newest phones our analysts are testing.

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Posted by PCMag on Monday, May 23, 2016

About Our Expert

Stephanie Mlot

Stephanie Mlot

Contributor

My Experience

  • B.A. in Journalism & Public Relations with minor in Communications Media from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)
  • Reporter at The Frederick News-Post (2008-2012)
  • Reporter for PCMag and Geek.com (RIP) (2012-present)

My Areas of Expertise

  • Science & Space
  • Video Streaming Services
  • Social Media
  • Cars & Auto
  • Education

The Tech I Use

  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • MacBook Air (hooked up to a 23-inch Dell monitor)
  • Google Chrome
  • Google Drive
  • Soundcore Life P3 earbuds
  • Various Amazon Echo devices

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