Facebook 'Live' brings fans closer to the rich and famous, but Chinese celebrities likely to miss out

Facebook 'Live', a new feature that allows celebrities to post real-time videos and interact with fans immediately, is the social media giant's latest answer to fast-rising industry competition from new rivals like Periscope and Snapchat, but most Chinese stars may have to miss it.

Rolled out on Thursday, Live works with Facebook Mentions, an app available to public figures with verified Facebook pages that also helps them close the gap with fans.

Many Western celebrities have already taken good use of live-video streaming apps like Periscope to boost their popularity. Twitter, a long-time competitor of Facebook, has been popular among Hollywood stars for years.

Facebook Mentions works by letting stars monitor what their fans are saying about them and issuing responses, whereas the latest 'Live' feature allows celebrities to stream live video of themselves and post it with Mentions onto their Facebook page.

Actor Dwayne Johnson, formerly known as The Rock, and alpine skier Lindsey Vonn have already actively engaged with Live. Johnson broadcast a video of himself working out at the gym while Vonn, who split with golfer Tiger Woods in May, offered fans rare footage of her racing down the slopes – filmed from her smartphone.