Washington: Journalists and other public figures can now offer live video to their followers on Facebook, which announced plans Thursday to broaden the streaming service.

As of Thursday, anyone with a verified Facebook profile will be able to use Facebook Mentions, an application made available earlier this year to actors, musicians and other celebrities to connect with their fans.

‘People love reading articles from and connecting with their favorite journalists and public figures on Facebook,’ the social network announced in a blog post.

‘Today, we’re making Facebook Mentions and Live available to public figures with verified profiles to help them engage their followers and interact with their peers.’

The move will allow journalists to report live from a news scene and host questions from followers on Facebook.

The users may choose who gets to see the live video stream.

‘Whether you’re sharing text, links, photos or something else, Mentions lets you choose the audience you want to share with,’ the blog post said.

‘For example, you can share a post so only your followers see it in News Feed.’

Facebook began offering the service amid competition in live streaming from Twitter’s Periscope and the independent Meerkat app, both of which launched this year.