Instagram to Roll Out New Broadcast Chat Feature ‘Channels’, Will Be Available on Messenger, Facebook

Instagram, the social media platform owned by Meta Platforms, is rolling out a broadcast chat feature called Channels, the company's boss Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday.

"I'm starting a channel to share news and updates on all the products and tech we're building at Meta," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.

"It will be the place I share Meta product news first."

The company will also introduce the feature to Messenger and Facebook in the coming months.

Last year in November, Meta said it was adding a host of new features to Instagram, including a tool to trade digital collectables, in a move that will help content creators monetise their presence on the social media platform. With the new feature, users can support creators by buying their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) directly within Instagram.

Meta has been rolling out more features for users to make money on its social media apps as it competes for talent with TikTok and others at a time when influencers are pulling in advertising dollars to these platforms.

In tandem with this push, Meta also said last year it was expanding access to subscriptions on Instagram to all eligible creators in the United States to help them earn a more predictable income on the photo-sharing app.

It is also introducing gifts on Instagram, starting with Reels, so creators have a new way to earn money from their fan base. Meta also announced a series of new ad formats in October, aimed at creating new revenue streams for the short video and business messaging products that it has identified as key areas of growth.

© Thomson Reuters 2023