Twitter aims to boost its video live streaming platform, Periscope, and has therefore come up with a new VIP program to offer support to broadcasters on the platform. Top users of the service will get “care packages” offering them more visibility and discovery on the app. It will also offer opportunities to collaborate with Periscope and other VIPs, according to a blog post by the Periscope team.
Different criteria, benefits for different tiers
Twitter has divided the VIP program into different tiers, namely, bronze, silver and gold. All the tiers are tied to a number of user metrics rather than being paid for. The company has tied each tier to the number of followers, average views and broadcasts a VIP makes, notes CNET.
At the base level, a user will need at least 10,000 followers and 200 viewers per clip on average. For the gold tier, creators need to have more than 100,000 followers on Periscope, post twice a week on average and have an average of more than 500 total live viewers per broadcast.
“The VIP Program was designed for broadcasters who’ve invested in our platform and continue to share great live experiences on Periscope,” the micro-blogging firm said.
Also creators at different tiers receive different benefits under the program. Under the bronze tier, creators are entitled to a “Care Package” so they “look on point” when broadcasting and get priority in search results and access to the latest best practices and materials to enhance their content. The full criteria for each tier is listed on the Periscope website.
How Twitter aims to beat rivals in live-streaming
Live-streaming is becoming increasingly competitive, so it makes sense that Twitter is trying hard to foster a professional community on its platform. The company is already dealing with stagnating user growth and has made several bids to improve this, including content deals with the NFL.
Periscope is facing tough competition from YouTube, Facebook and even Snapchat, so it has to incentivize broadcasters to use its service instead of flocking to other services that might appeal more to them due to their larger audiences. Twitter is bringing a strong creator community on board, and the latest program marks the next evolution, especially as it pushes its live event strategy.
For quite some time, the company has also been testing new functionalities to allow broadcasters to incorporate video from external sources that will improve the quality of live streams. Twitter is also helping creators monetize their work and has added pre-roll ads to its Amplify Publisher program that will allow select broadcasters to add advertisements to their broadcasts.
