Facebook today announced the launch of several video features including support for scheduling IGTV video through a number of updates targeting content makers and publishers, during a session at an international broadcasting meeting in the Dutch capital Amsterdam.

Updates also include changes to the live stream, Watch Party and Creator Studio. They also include better setup, live streaming, ways to make better use of watch party events, and new metrics to track video performance. In addition to the new feature that allows the scheduling of content on the IGTV service of Instagram even six months before publication.

With regard to live video, Facebook said: It has launched many features for Facebook pages – not profiles – and through these updates the company is trying to attract professional broadcasters who prefer live broadcasting through Facebook besides – or alternative to other platforms, such as YouTube.

Publishers can now use a feature that allows them to broadcast only to webmasters and editors to test streaming, interactive features, and other technical issues before broadcasting to the public. Publishers can cut the start and end of the live broadcast and the company has doubled the broadcasting time from 4 to 8 hours. Facebook has also supported one of the most demanding features: allowing applications that allow publishers to stream to other platforms outside of Facebook.

Facebook announced the enhancement of the group viewing feature (Watch Party) by enabling pages to schedule a live stream in advance to stimulate viewership. Facebook also indicated that it has recently started supporting live streaming on the lite version of its application: (Facebook Lite). For Instagram, publishers will be able to publish and schedule Instagram and IGTV publications 6 months in advance. In the coming months, the company will also support the conservation and editing of content.