Twitter Launches Live-Streaming iOS App 'Periscope'

[MacRumors]

After acquiring live-streaming video service Periscope back in January, Twitter today officially launched the Periscope app, which aims to compete with newly popular apps like Meerkat in allowing users to instantly live-stream right from an iPhone (via The Verge).

In development for over a year, once a user syncs their Twitter account with Periscope, they can view a list of curated live feeds on the app's homepage and even replay streams that have since ended. Streams can be replayed up to 24 hours after ending, and broadcasters can opt-out of allowing users to view their stream after it's over.

That replay feature could be Periscope's killer feature over Meerkat, as The Verge points out, with the ability to browse old feeds and dig through current live streams resulting in "an app that can actually be browsed." Though working in tandem with one another after being installed, the Twitter and Periscope experiences will stay separate from one another, according to Periscope co-founder Kayvon Beykpour.

You won't be able to launch Periscope directly from the Twitter app, at least not for a while. "We don't think we need to start there," Beykpour says. "We think this deserves to be a separate experience indefinitely." Still, there's a reason Twitter scooped up Periscope: Twitter is a mostly live experience, and so is its new broadcasting app. "We always thought that what we were building, if successful, could be a real-time visual pulse of what's happening around the world," Beykpour says. The vision for Twitter is much the same.

Periscope also includes a few unique social aspects to live-streaming, including the ability for viewers to tap on the stream to send hearts to the broadcaster, showing up as tiny floating emoticons on the stream's lower-right corner for everyone watching the broadcast to see.

The more hearts on a video, the higher the stream climbs on the app's "Most Loved" list found on the front-end menu. This becomes a good measure for the crowd opinion on a current stream, according to Beykpour, who hopes the accessibility of the service propels it to be used by a vast audience and not just as "a tool for very few people."

Although largely in favor of Periscope, The Verge mentions that the push notifications become "out of control" for the live-streaming service, comparing the experience to "getting a push notification each time every single person you follow on Twitter tweeted."

Those interested in Periscope [Direct Link] can download the app for free from the App Store.

Article Link: Twitter Launches Live-Streaming iOS App 'Periscope'

 

[jayducharme]

I'll be interested to see if this (along with Meerkat and others) becomes the new trend for social connection. It does have a more intimate and personal quality to it than simple tweets. If it takes off, I assume bandwidth it consumes will become a huge issue (or profit center) for mobile providers.

 

[lincolntran]

It might look fun to do but I'm not sure if people will use it for a handsome time...

 

[mainer4101]

I see two ways this will blow up:

- Live, unfiltered media coverage of an event unfolding
- Celebs/professional athletes using it to give fans behind the scenes live video of whatever they're doing (on set, practice, after-party, etc).

Regular Joe use will have it's place, but (just like with twitter) I think its commercial use will be more prominent.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I really like this idea. It could be revolutionary for news and justice (no more he said / she said - everyone saw exactly what happened because a bystander live streamed it.)

Just one thing this needs: some way to make it available more than 24 hours after you film it. I get that it's okay if most stuff just vanishes after 24 hours, but if it's really a big deal, you're going to want to hold onto it indefinitely.

I can also see this being big for new parents who live far from their extended family. You can share new baby things both in real time and semi-real time.

 

[JuryDuty]

Kinda cool. I used Meerkat when I heard about it a couple weeks ago and watched Jimmy Fallon broadcasting his dress rehearsal live. It was pretty cool and something I'd use. I think there's a place for this sort of app...one just needs to become the "de facto."

 

[batchtaster]

I see two ways this will blow up

Porn. You forgot that there will be a porn use of it.

Like everything, there always is.

 

[jumanji]

Porn. You forgot that there will be a porn use of it.

Like everything, there always is.

Spot on. The porn industry will take this run. That will either help or hurt this...

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Porn. You forgot that there will be a porn use of it.

Like everything, there always is.

I don't think they forgot about that, so much as they chose to ignore the elephant in the room.

 

[bustio]

Eclipsea

Mm.. I preffer Eclipsea.com over Periscope, well, Periscope is nice but Eclipsea is more complete, even with a map. Oh, and runs in Android and web.

 

[Northgrove]

It's hard to talk of Periscope with Meerkat so recently launched, but I'm not sure Twitter is intentionally ripping the idea since it takes time to develop apps. Maybe they just got the same idea. It is*a good idea that I think fits the Twitter culture well with its immediacy. It's such a good idea I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier.

Best of luck to Twitter! They're struggling with profits and I at least like this idea much better on the Twitter platform than on Facebook which I think doesn't share this kind of culture. Twitter may have an ace on their hands there; that they'll be untouchable even if Facebook launches a clone, or buys Meerkat. I have a feeling it may fail on their platform for a similar reason that Slingshot or Poke did. They're good ideas, but incompatible with their culture at large.

I'm definitely ready to see richer stories by news networks on Twitter, and other innovative uses.

----------

Spot on. The porn industry will take this run. That will either help or hurt this...

Haha. Yes, they're often early adopters like that. But it's nothing I think you'll even come across unless you want to find that content by following these Twitter accounts. I can't really see how it'll hurt it.

 

[nutmac]

So a stupid question. How do I filter "Watch" page to show only broadcasts from people I follow?

 

[DotCom2]

I really like this idea. It could be revolutionary for news and justice (no more he said / she said - everyone saw exactly what happened because a bystander live streamed it.)

Just one thing this needs: some way to make it available more than 24 hours after you film it. I get that it's okay if most stuff just vanishes after 24 hours, but if it's really a big deal, you're going to want to hold onto it indefinitely.

I can also see this being big for new parents who live far from their extended family. You can share new baby things both in real time and semi-real time.

You can save your own broadcasts to you camera roll.