Threads thinks live chats can bring users closer to culture. It’s using the NBA playoffs as a case study.

Second-screen scrolling is now a mainstream phenomenon, and Meta wants to bring more of that activity to Threads. To wit, the tech giant has announced that its X analogue now has Live Chats, where users around the world can discuss hot topics in a dynamic interface.

Threads users can locate Live Chats via community hubs, in-feed links, and the profile pages of chat hosts. Once they enter the conversation, those users will see an assortment of photos, videos, links, emojis, and polls, all of which will update in real time. Even after events conclude, users will still be able to search for and browse relevant Live Chats.

To paraphrase LeVar Burton, if you’re curious to know how Live Chats will function in practice, you don’t have to take my word for it. Meta is giving Threads users a chance to discover the new feature during one of the biggest cultural tentpoles of the spring: the NBA Playoffs.

By navigating to the NBAThreads community, users will be able to find the earliest examples of Live Chats on the platform. As the hoops action carries on — with Threads providing score updates in real time — NBA insiders like Malika Andrews and Rachel Nichols will host Live Chats tied to specific games and matchups.

It seems as if every major social platform wants a piece of pro sports action these days, but the rollout of Live Chats isn’t just about cultural trends. Threads’ new product has significant potential in the marketing world, since it’s a natural fit with the platform’s latest ad formats.

To explain what I mean, let’s look back to the 2026 NewFronts. At the annual pitchfest, tentpole-powered advertising was one of the biggest themes. Big tech companies claimed that brands need to put themselves at the center of the cultural conversations that happen on social media, and formats like TikTok Pulse get that job done.

Meta’s NewFronts pitch doubled down on the prevailing theme, with products like Reels trending ads bringing buyers closer to concerts, sports games, blockbuster movies, holidays, and other tentpoles. As Threads develops the nascent ad program it announced earlier this year, its Live Chats can provide centralized locations where cultural discourse can take place.

According to a Meta blog post, a “select group of creators” can host Live Chats within their respective communities. “We’re starting with the NBAThreads Community as we build and refine Live Chats — rolling out gradually to more communities on Threads so we can learn from early feedback and refine the experience,” reads the blog post.

Translation: Threads wants to find an interactive mix of posts for its new format. Real-time conversations aren’t new in the social media world (anyone else remember Google Wave?), but trending ads are the new hotness, so Meta has plenty of reasons to build out its communal spaces.