Just last week Twitter announced that it had acquired Periscope—an app that broadcasts live video streams. This week the social media platform launched the Periscope app for public use. Periscope is set to go head-to-head with Meerkat as the go-to app for streaming videos and sharing them with followers on Twitter.
Twitter describes the Periscope app: “Periscope lets you broadcast live video to the world. Going live will instantly notify your followers who can join, comment and send you hearts in real time.” Periscope remains a stand-alone app with its own user interface and features designed to let users interact with one another via its video platform. Users can then stream live videos and broadcast them via Periscope and share broadcast links directly on Twitter.
Periscope has the ability to store and replay videos for 24 hours using the original link so even people who show up late can still watch the video. Periscope can also save broadcasts to your personal broadcaster’s roll. It’s a great app for journalists, sports coverage, celebrities and individuals looking to share marketing videos or other moments via video on Twitter.
Even though Periscope is owned by Twitter you cannot launch Periscope directly from Twitter. You have to install the separate Periscope app. Periscope CEO Beykpour Kayvvon said, “We think this deserves to be a separate experience indefinitely,” adding, “We always thought that what we were building, if successful, could be a real-time visual pulse of what’s happening around the world.”’
Twitter’s decision to acquire Periscope is in part based on the success other video sharing apps like Vine and volume of smartphones currently in use around the world. The growing availability of 3G and 4G wireless services make live streaming of video possible and also plays a part in the increase in popularity of video sharing or streaming apps.
The success of Periscope will depend on how quickly its services will be embraced by societies trend setters–celebrities, news firms–and how it fares in the battle against similar apps like Meerkat. If this first week is any indication the future looks promising. Actor Aaron Paul and popular astronaut Chris Hadfield already have massive followings, and many tech media outlets and personalities—including @GetTechSpective—have already embraced Periscope.
Have you used Periscope or similar apps like Meerkat? Do you think this sort of live streaming of video has long term potential or value, or is it just a passing fad? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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…And in the words of Anton Checkov, Engineering is my wife while writing is my mistress. I am a webmaster who also writes Afrocentric articles on my blog. (www.omnicorpseo.com) and loves football. Finally, I can’t go without saying hi to my wife…so, “Hi dear” and Hi All!
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