Threads Enables Real-Time Chat During Major Cultural Events

Threads is launching a new Live Chats feature to enable real-time conversations during major cultural events, starting with the NBA Playoffs. The feature allows users to participate in public group chats where they can send messages, photos, videos, links, and emoji reactions while watching live events unfold.

Live Chats are designed to make the Threads app feel more timely and relevant by supporting real-time engagement around shared interests like sports games, album drops, or televised events. The feature launches first within the NBA Threads community during the Playoffs, with media personalities including Malika Andrews, Rachel Nichols, and Da Kid Gowie hosting Live Chats during games.

Meta is initially rolling out Live Chats to a small group of creators, meaning not all users can start a Live Chat immediately. However, the company plans to expand access over time. Users can join and participate in existing Live Chats even if they cannot host one.

Each Live Chat supports up to 150 active participants who can send messages. Once this limit is reached, additional users can still view the conversation, react to messages, and participate in polls in a “spectator” mode. This structure balances active discussion with broader audience participation during high-traffic events.

Live Chats include interactive features such as real-time polls, countdowns, typing indicators, and live scores that stay synchronized with ongoing games. A red live ring appears around a host’s profile photo to signal when a chat is active, helping users discover and join conversations at the top of the NBA Threads community feed or through shared posts on their main Threads feed.

Threads has incorporated automated moderation systems to detect and remove policy-violating content during Live Chats. Hosts are also given real-time controls to manage conversations, including the ability to move users into spectator mode or remove participants when needed to maintain discussion quality.

While Threads previously lacked features like robust search, hashtags, and a chronological feed that made it harder to follow real-time conversations compared to platforms like X, the company has built out these tools over time. Live Chats represent a new addition that even X does not currently offer, positioning Threads to better compete through enhanced real-time engagement.

Meta plans to expand Live Chats beyond sports to other cultural moments in the coming months, including music releases, television events, and global broadcasts such as the FIFA World Cup and major award shows. Future updates may include co-hosting capabilities, live updates, lock-screen integrations, and tools for sharing chat highlights across the platform.

Live Chats will remain publicly discoverable even after they have ended, allowing users to join and view past conversations, react to messages, and vote in polls. This ensures that the community-building aspect of real-time discussions continues beyond the live event itself.