Microsoft 365 live event streaming limits temporarily increased to 20,000 participants

Microosft Teams iOS and Surface
Microosft Teams iOS and Surface (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft extended its increased participant limits for Microsoft 365 live events.
  • People can now host events with up to 20,000 attendees that are up to 16 hours long.
  • The extended limits last until June 30, 2021.

Microsoft allows people and organizations to live stream events through several platforms, including Teams, Yammer, or Stream. Microsoft increased the participant limits for these types of streams earlier this year and has extended that increase further. The extended participant limits for Microsoft 365 live events last until June 30, 2021. Microsoft sent out word of the extension through Microsoft 365 Admin center, which was spotted first by OnMSFT. In addition to increasing the number of participants allowed, Microsoft extended how long streams can be.

With the increased participant limits, live events on Teams, Stream, and Yammer can have up to 20,000 attendees. Tenants can have 50 events at a time, and events can last up to 16 hours.

With people not being able to attend live events, streaming to large audiences has become more important. To help meet this demand, Microsoft has increased and extended its participant limits before. Microsoft increased the Teams live events limit to 20,000 earlier this year, and increased the limit for Teams live streams to help schools broadcast graduation ceremonies.

In order to host events with more than 10,000 participants, a host needs to have an Advanced Communications license. That same license is needed to host events longer than four hours after June 30, 2021.

The increased limits are outlined by Microsoft on a techcommunity resources page. Microsoft also has a page that breaks down how to use Microsoft Teams live events.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.