What you need to know
- The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and Threads is slowly rolling out Live Chats for the NBA Community.
- In Live Chats, users can share messages, photos, videos, etc. can connect and chat with other NBA fans by posting
- The feature is rolling out to a small number of creators at first, but Meta says it plans a few more features like co-hosting for the future.
It’s going to be a lot easier for basketball fans to get together to watch a game this week on Threads.
Today (April 22) Meta announced Threads will soon launch Live Chats, a dynamic version of your standard group chat for “real-time conversations around happening cultural moments.” Joining Live Chats is a convenient (and bold) red bell around the user’s profile icon, so everyone knows they’re live. To launch Live Chats, Threads says the feature will be available primarily to NBAThreads Community creators throughout the playoffs and Finals.
Meta adds that NBA postseason Live Chats will be available at the top of its Community Feed and in related shared posts in your normal feed. Once you join the conversation, users can send messages (photos, videos, links) and send emoji reactions. Live Chats are open to the public; but if it’s “full,” Meta says, “you can still follow the conversation, react to messages, and vote on polls.”
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This feature is available to a select group of NBA content creators on Threads to begin with. These creators can schedule Live Chat in advance, while also having the ability to determine how long it will remain open. If the NBA hosts Live Chat, it can schedule it to start at 7:00 PM ET and last about three hours, which is usually the length of a game. Live Chats can be shared to Threads or Instagram Reels for advertising.
Android Central’s Take
I like this idea. You can already do something similar in Threads. Just by posting you are participating in this NBA Community and people can like or reply if they want. I think a centralized location like Live Chat is a better option. People can still type however they want, but for those who want to feel like they’re in the digital stadium, Live Chats can be the solution.
This is reportedly just the beginning of what Threads has in store for Live Chats. Co-hosting, play-by-plays, a lock screen widget, and “the ability to quote and share chat messages in your Threads feed” are in development. Live Chats for the NBA Community during the NBA Playoffs and Finals are slowly rolling out.
As a teaser, Threads highlights community members Malika Andrews, Rachel Nichols, Trysta Krick, David Rushing, and Lexis Mickens as notable members who will be hosting Live Chats for the NBA.
Hit the court
Things have been relatively quiet lately, but a big update was introduced in February, giving users control over their feeds. This control offers more as users get access to “Dear Algo”. This allows you to customize your program’s algorithm for selected days (up to three). If there’s something you’d like to see more or less of, Dear Algo is there to change the situation for you for a while.
Android Central’s Take
This feature almost goes hand in hand with these Live Chats. Imagine changing your algorithm to see “more basketball.” Now you can watch NBA Live Chats, videos, game highlights and more. you see
An extensive menu allows users to view active Dear Algo requests and some expired requests. Plus, your algorithm queries can be shared, so anyone who wants to see more of what you see can do so.
