Twitter revisited some of the broadcasts on Periscope to celebrate the first anniversary of its live-streaming app. For Periscope, this was an important year as it has risen from being a startup to being a prominent part of the micro-blogging giant.
Big achievements in a short span
On Monday, Twitter underlined the potential of Periscope by revealing that 200 million broadcasts have been hosted within the app. Also 100 million of the total broadcasts were posted in the past three months. Across Periscope’s iOS and Android apps, around 110 years’ worth of live video is watched daily, representing a 91% hike from August 2015.
When it comes to accomplishments, there are many for Periscope. It was quick to launch on Android and iOS and can be viewed on the Web. On the Apple TV, it was one of the first apps to debut. New features such as web profiles, landscape support, GoPro video support, the ability to skip ahead in replays, and viewing streams within tweets have also been added to the service.
It is being used by people to report on events around the world, like the Baltimore uprisings, the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe and the Nepal earthquake. Also popular stars like Chris Hardwick, Jamie Foxx, John Mayer and others have joined Periscope.
Periscope: last hope for Twitter?
Periscope was launched on March 26, 2015, around the same time when Meerkat started to gain traction. At that time, the micro-blogging giant declared plans to sever access to its API — an advantage for Periscope. A year later, Meerkat pivoted, and the live video market started to get crowded with the introduction of Facebook Live and, very soon, YouTube Connect.
None of Periscope’s competitors have publicly released their metrics, so even though Periscope’s numbers appear strong, it’s difficult to see how it is competing with rivals. However, similar to Facebook and Snapchat, it pays attention to the time a user spends in watching a live broadcast. Twitter’s role “still centers on bringing people together to watch live events in the place where information comes the fastest,” stated CEO Jack Dorsey in a recent interview with Bloomberg.
With Facebook eying the same opportunities as Twitter, the competition to become the top live streaming app gets tougher. But the micro-blogging giant is not just fighting to win but also to save itself, and Periscope is its main weapon.
