Meta is Bringing WhatsApp’s Channels to Facebook and Messenger

Over the years, Meta has often drawn inspiration from its competitors to introduce similar features, with some fading into obscurity while others, like Stories, surpass the originals in popularity.

Today marks another instance of this trend. Meta is expanding its Telegram-inspired broadcast channels, initially featured in Instagram and WhatsApp, to Facebook and Messenger in the forthcoming weeks.

According to the company, people running Facebook Pages can initiate these broadcast channels as a means to foster more profound engagement with their followers.

A broadcast channel essentially serves as a “one-to-many” messaging tool, primarily leveraged by public figures, celebrities, and online creators to further monetize their connection with fans, either directly or indirectly. In return, these fans have the opportunity to forge deeper connections and engage more profoundly with the content that resonates with them, though the specifics can vary.

Accessing a broadcast channel allows anyone to enjoy a range of offerings, such as polls, behind-the-scenes photos or videos, or voice notes for a more authentic form of expression. However, the choice of content is ultimately determined by the Page admin.

For those who manage a Facebook Page and wish to utilize broadcast channels, it’s possible to create one directly from your Page, provided you are in a region where broadcast channels are currently accessible. It will become available in additional regions later on.

When you initiate the first message within a broadcast channel, all followers of your Page will receive notifications and invitations to join your new channel. In this setup, you alone have the ability to send messages, while others (referred to colloquially as “plebs”) have the option to react and participate in polls, for better or worse.

If you become a member of a broadcast channel, you’ll receive notifications each time there’s a new post, potentially resulting in frequent notifications. Fortunately, there is a mute function to address this.

It’s important to note that broadcast channels, as Meta defines them, are considered “public and discoverable chat experiences,” even though you may interact with them through Facebook Messenger, where typically, your interactions are limited to friends.