The meta chief, Mark Zuckerberg has said today that the firm is rolling out a new broadcast chat feature on the platform Instagram called "Channels." According to the founder, creators can use channels for posting public, one-to-many messages directly to get the engagement of their followers. The channels support more in addition to text and images including polls, reactions among others. Zuckerberg unveiled his announcement with the start-up of his own broadcast channel with future updates being shared through Meta.

Instagram is launching its test of channels with a small group of creators in the United States today, and it will roll out the feature more broadly in the coming months. Creators can use broadcast channels to help followers stay updated and see behind-the-scenes moments. It notes that only creators can post in broadcast channels and followers can only react to content and participate in polls.

Soon in the coming months, more features will be added in broadcast channels, such as bringing another creator into the channel to discuss upcoming collabs and collect questions for an AMA via question prompts.

One exciting thing about the new feature is that it allows a person to update his followers. In the past, news and updates have typically been shared with followers using stories, but now that gives them the chance of interacting directly with their fans if needed. The feature has an added advantage where they seek feedback on some of their works and promote them also.

Although Meta is launching channels on Instagram first, Zuckerberg said the same feature will be implemented on Messenger and Facebook by the end of the year.

Once a creator has access to channels, they can start one from their Instagram inbox. After sending their first message, their followers will receive a one-time notification to join the channel. When the channel is live, creators can also encourage their followers to join by using the "join channel" sticker in Stories. Creators will soon be able to pin their channel to their profile.

All users on the social network can discover broadcast channels and see content, but only followers who join the channel will get notifications when the creator posts updates. Followers can leave or mute broadcast channels at any time and also control their notifications from creators.

Some of the creators involved in the initial test are Austin Sprinz (@austin_sprinz), Chloe Kim (@chloekim), David Allen (@ToTouchanEmu), FaZe Rug, (@fazerug), Flau'jae Johnson, (@flaujae), Gilbert Burns (@gilbert_burns), Josh Richards (@joshrichards), Karen Cheng (@karenxcheng), Katie Feeney (@katiefeeneyy), Lonnie IIV (@LonnieIIV), Mackenzie Dern (@mackenziedern), Mikaela Shiffrin,(@mikaelashiffrin), Tank Sinatra (@tank.sinatra) and Valkyrae (@valkyrae).

Broadcast channels, however, are subject to the community guidelines of Instagram. People can report not only the broadcast channel but also specific content shared within the channel. In cases where it violates Meta's policies, such content shall be removed. The company explains that broadcast channels are set up for public and discoverable chat experiences. Due to this, the company treats broadcast channels differently than private messaging on Instagram. Meta has tools and reviewers to identify, review or remove content in broadcast channels that may violate its guidelines.