Twitter Launches Live Broadcast App, Takes On Meerkat
By Edward Cardenas
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - Twitter launched a new app Thursday which allows users to share live video broadcasts from their mobile phone.
Periscope, which is now available for iOS users, has been in development for more than a year, according to Twitter. The micro-blogging site acquired the company earlier this month.
"While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video," Periscope wrote in a blog post. "A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around."
After the app is downloaded, users can title their broadcast and choose who can view it. With a press of a button, the user can instantly notify your followers of the live broadcast by pushing the Twitter logo.
Users can also see who is watching the video, and after the broadcast, see who watched and statistics about viewers. The videos can also be saved to the camera roll on the smart phone to be viewed later.
Those viewing a broadcast on Periscope can send the broadcaster sending messages show they like what they see by tapping the screen to send hearts.
App users can also see live video, along with previous broadcasts from users they follow. While it is available for iOS currently, an Android app is in development according to reports.
The launch of Twitter's live broadcast app comes just weeks after Meerkat launched a live-streaming app. The start-up utilizes Twitter to send out notifications of a live broadcasts, and for those who have downloaded the app, push notifications are sent to users to also inform users them of live broadcasts.
But unlike Periscope, broadcasts on Meerkat are not saved for later viewing on the app. Broadcasts on Meerkat are live for the moment, but developers have created #katch - which allows for videos to be saved on YouTube - and Suricate to promote upcoming live streams.
More enhancements could be on the horizon with Greylock Partners announcing it was investing in Meerkat.
