Is Apple about to roll out a live-streaming feature? (AAPL)

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In a huge hint that Apple may soon let users share live broadcasts of their iPhone screens, the company has a added a "Start Broadcast" option alongside the new "Screen Recording" feature in iOS 11 beta 3, the latest preview of the company's mobile operating system due to launch later this year.

It’s all speculation right now but it seems sensible that Apple would roll out a feature for live broadcasting screen recordings (and that it would integrate with third-party video and messaging apps). There’s no confirmation that the button serves this purpose. It doesn’t currently do anything special; tapping it leads to a screen capture, just like the screen recording button, and saves the video file onto the camera roll, The Next Web reports.

Live streaming has become an important new medium in digital. Several companies, including established players like Twitch and younger upstarts like Live.ly, have made a name for themselves from live video. Major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made live video central part of their strategy. And this is a trend that is playing out not just in the US but in a very big way in massive international markets such as China and India as well.

Online video has become a key part of the strategic business model for both brands and marketers as they seek more innovative ways to capture consumer attention. Creative live streaming video initiatives and campaigns are a way for companies to cut through the digital clutter and have emerged as the medium of choice not only for person-to-person sharing, but also for business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) communication. And advertising dollars are likely to follow.

Dylan Mortensen, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on live streaming video that:

Examines the eruption of live streaming video.
Explores the differences between platforms that host live streaming video.
Breaks down successful approaches from both brands and publishers.
Discusses unique monetization opportunities live streaming presents.

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