Meta Platforms said on Wednesday it will soon give users in more than 150 countries, including South Africa, access to WhatsApp Channels, a broadcast service that enables them to receive private updates from celebrities, sports teams and thought leaders.

The move comes as Meta makes a push to shore up engagement across its social media apps, positioning them as central destinations where content creators can engage with followers.

The wider rollout is happening months after WhatsApp Channels was launched in Colombia and Singapore, in June. The Broadcast Channels feature on Instagram was concurrently made available globally.

On WhatsApp, channels are separate from chats and followers are not visible to each other.

Meta said users will be able to see recommended WhatsApp Channels based on region and popularity. Similar to WhatsApp chat, they will also be able to use emojis to react to messages in a channel.