Instagram restricts live broadcast to accounts with 1000 followers: Details

Instagram has updated its Live broadcast rules, now requiring users to have a public account and at least 1,000 followers, limiting access for smaller creators and private users

Instagram has quietly introduced new eligibility requirements for its Live feature. Users will now need a minimum of 1,000 followers and must have a public account to initiate a Live broadcast. The Meta-owned platform has updated its Help Centre page to reflect the change and is reportedly showing pop-up messages to users who attempt to go live without meeting the criteria.

 

According to a report by TechCrunch, the message shown to users reads: “We changed requirements to use this feature. Only public accounts with 1,000 followers or more will be able to create live videos.”

The change restricts not only smaller creators with under 1,000 followers but also users with private accounts who previously used Live to connect with a select group of friends or followers.

Why has Instagram made this change?

Meta has not provided an official explanation, but TechCrunch reports that the move may be aimed at improving the overall Live viewing experience. By limiting Live access to users with an established audience, Instagram could be looking to reduce lower-quality streams.

The report also suggests this could be a cost-saving measure. Hosting livestreams is resource-intensive, and Meta may be trying to optimise infrastructure by allowing only creators with larger audiences to use the feature.

 

The updated policy brings Instagram’s Live feature more in line with other platforms. China’s short-form video app TikTok also requires a minimum of 1,000 followers to start a Live session, while YouTube allows livestreaming from channels with at least 50 subscribers. Meta’s other platform, Facebook, requires a minimum of 100 followers for Live broadcasts.