What you need to know
- The NBA Playoffs are in full swing, and Threads is slowly introducing live chat to its NBA community.
- In live chat, users can connect and chat with other NBA fans, posting messages, photos, videos, and more.
- The feature is being rolled out to a small number of creators at first, but Meta says it’s planning many more features like co-hosting for the future.
This week it’s become easier for basketball fans to watch games together on Threads.
Today (April 22), meta announced Threads will soon launch live chat, a dynamic version of your standard group chat for “real-time conversations around cultural moments as they’re happening.” Joining live chat is a convenient (and bold) red ring around a user’s profile icon, letting everyone know they’re live. As for turning on live chat, Threads says the feature is being rolled out first to NBAThreads community creators during the playoffs and finals.
Meta adds that live chats for the NBA post-season will be present at the top of its community feed and in linked shared posts in your general feed. Once you join the chat, users can send messages (photos, videos, links) and send emoji reactions. Live chats are open to the public; However, if it’s “full,” Meta says, “you can still view conversations, respond to messages, and vote in polls.”
Article continues below
image 1 Of 2
The feature is initially being rolled out to a select group of NBA content creators on Threads. These creators can schedule a live chat ahead of time, as well as have the option to set how long it will be open for. If the NBA is hosting live chat, it can schedule it to start at 7 p.m. ET and last about three hours, which is typically the length of a game. Live chats can be shared on threads or Instagram Reels for promotion.
Android Central’s Tech
I like the idea. You can do something like this already on threads. Just by posting, you are included in this NBA community, and people can like or reply if they want. I think a centralized location, such as live chat, is a better option. People can still post as they wish, but for those who want to feel like they are in a digital stadium, live chat may be a solution.
This is reportedly the beginning of the idea of threads for live chat. Co-hosting, play-by-play, a lock screen widget, and “the ability to quote and share chat messages on your Threads feed” are all under development. Live chats are slowly rolling out to the NBA community for the NBA Playoffs and Finals.
As a teaser, the threads highlighted community members like Malika Andrews, Rachel Nichols, Trista Crick, David Rushing, and Lexis Mickens as notable members who will host live chats for the NBA.
hit the court
The threads have been relatively quiet lately, But a major update was released in February, giving users more control over their feed. This provides more control, as users get access to “favorite algos.” This lets you personalize your app’s algorithms for select days (up to three). If there’s anything you’d like to see more or less of, Dear Algo is here to help you change things up for a bit.
Android Central’s Tech
This feature goes hand in hand with these live chats. Imagine changing your algorithm to see “more basketball.” Now, you are watching NBA live chat, videos, game highlights and so on.
A detailed menu lets users view their active Dear Algo requests as well as some that have expired. Additionally, your algorithm requests can be shared, so that other people who want to see more of what you’re seeing can do so.
