Instagram is tightening its rules for live streaming. Moving forward, only users with public profiles and a minimum of 1,000 followers will be able to use the live feature. Previously, there were no such restrictions—any user, whether private or with a smaller following, could start a live broadcast. This marks a significant change in how Instagram manages access to its live-streaming tool.
Instagram’s recent change to its live-streaming eligibility now mirrors TikTok’s policy, requiring users to have at least 1,000 followers before they can go live. This update marks a shift away from more accessible platforms like YouTube, where even creators with just 50 subscribers can start live-streaming.
Although Instagram hasn’t officially explained the rationale behind the updated requirement, it’s likely an effort to improve overall broadcast quality and minimize expenses linked to supporting streams with minimal audience engagement.
Why you need 1,000 followers to use Instagram Live:
Given the high operational costs of live streaming, limiting the feature to users with larger audiences may help Instagram cut down on resources spent on low-traffic broadcasts. This adjustment also appears to align Instagram more closely with other platforms that enforce similar follower requirements, creating a more uniform standard across the live-streaming ecosystem.
Social media users were not impressed by the update:
The update hasn’t gone down well with many social media users, as some fear it could negatively impact smaller content creators and regular users who used the live-streaming feature to casually connect with friends and followers.
“I don’t even know why I bother with Instagram any more,” said one user while another added: “This is likely more to do with resource preservation than anything else, as Instagram likely does not want to dedicate real-time streaming bandwidth and infrastructure resources for live video streams.”
“They want people to use it for content creation and advertisement only. No more sharing your life with your family, it doesn’t make Meta any money,” a third commented.
“This will just encourage people to purchase followers from bot farms for a couple hundred dollars,” fourth one noted.
