Live Streaming App Popularity Could Be Game Changer For Social Networks, Users
By KYW social media editor Melony Roy
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A new startup enjoyed over a month of dominance in the fast-growing video streaming category of social media, before Twitter released its own app and changed all of that.
Now, live streaming could be a game changer for users and brands.
Live streaming apps Meerkat and Twitter-owned Periscope are the most talked about apps right now on social media. Both let you watch live video streams or broadcast your own stream right from your iPhone.
"I think the most appealing aspects of Meerkat and Periscope is that they seamlessly integrate to Twitter, so they're broadcasting live streams right within a tweet to large audiences and its a great opportunity to be our own broadcaster," says local advertising expert Annie Heckenberger.
People are live streaming behind the scenes at events, views of the inside of their fridge, and even breaking news -- like the building explosion in NYC.
"It's kinda the way of the world now, to be first," says Heckenberger. "In the past, people were reluctant and wanted to wait for others to tow the waters and see how warm the water was, so we are seeing a number of brands test things from Mountain Dew to DKNY to Spotify."
How brands will monitor live streaming is yet to be determined, but Heckinburger says these experiences should lead to more ad dollars:
"The reasons you're creating all these experiences on these big platforms is to get people to spend more time there. The more minutes they have you, the more revenue they gain from running more commercials in your stream."
Both apps are still new and are likely to evolve like Twitter and Facebook have.