Instagram Profile Banner for Live Streams: New Update

Instagram Announces New Features for Livestreams and Video Remixing

Instagram is rolling out a new profile banner designed to showcase users’ scheduled livestreams. This announcement was made by the company on Wednesday.

Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, explained the functionality in a video shared across his social media accounts. He highlighted that users can now display a badge on their profile to signal an upcoming livestream event.

Livestream Promotion and Visibility

Once the banner is active, followers have the option to subscribe and receive reminders about the scheduled livestream. This ensures they don't miss the event.

Users are not limited in the number of scheduled Lives they can create. If multiple livestreams are planned, they will appear as a horizontally scrolling list on the profile banner.

Previously, users relied on posts or Stories to inform their followers about upcoming Lives. This new feature provides a dedicated and streamlined method for announcing scheduled events.

The visibility of the badge extends beyond just followers; it's also visible to anyone visiting the user’s profile. This increased exposure has the potential to attract a wider audience.

Enhancements to Instagram Live

Instagram’s Live feature has become increasingly important, particularly for content creators who utilize it for direct engagement with their audience.

The company continues to refine the feature to remain competitive with platforms like Clubhouse, Facebook, and TikTok. Several functionalities have been added, including options for muting audio and video, and the ability to collaborate with up to four creators simultaneously.

This new profile banner for scheduled Lives, while a relatively minor update, could significantly boost creator visibility and expand their reach within the app.

Expanded Remix Capabilities

Mosseri also announced that users can now remix any video content on the platform. This change builds upon an earlier announcement made just days prior.

Instagram Remix, launched in March 2021, is the platform’s take on TikTok Duets. It allows users to record their Reels video alongside content from another user.

Initially, remixing was limited to short-form Reels. Now, the feature extends to any publicly available video on the app.

However, this functionality only applies to videos published publicly from this point forward; older content is not eligible for remixing.

Creator Subscriptions in Early Testing

In addition to these updates, Instagram is currently conducting an early test of creator subscriptions in the United States.

Select creators can now offer their followers exclusive access to Instagram Live videos and Stories for a paid subscription fee.

Creators have the flexibility to determine their own pricing for access to this exclusive content.

Subscribers will be identified with a special badge, visually distinguishing them from unpaid users within the comments section.

Instagram is not alone in exploring subscription models; TikTok has also confirmed it is testing similar paid subscription support.