In what marks yet another proof that companies are considering live videos to be the next most popular mode of sharing content on the web, Twitter’s newly launched Explore section will also feature live videos brought to users straight from Periscope.
Announcing the move, Twitter said:
Watch what’s trending – LIVE! You’ll now see Periscopes surfaced in top trends. pic.twitter.com/Bhj8JT2ITw
— Twitter Video (@TwitterVideo) February 14, 2017
The move points to a closer integration in the making between Periscope and Twitter. Although, why the company doesn’t go to the hold hog and merge the two apps into one is anyone’s guess. Considering that some of the best videos from Periscope will now be easily accessible through Twitter’s Explore tab, users wont have many compelling reasons to keep the Periscope app around.
Indeed, Twitter seems to be confused with regards to how it wants to handle Periscope and by extension, live videos. It would have made a great deal of sense to let the live streaming app run as a standalone platform in its own right, but considering that the acquisition took place before Periscope even launched, it did not really have time to build a following. Another similar example is Facebook’s Instagram however, considering that the latter was already up and running when Facebook acquired it, a status quo could be maintained easily.
Periscope on the other hand, never had the time required to build up a fan base of its own. What’s more, it also had to face a ton of competition from the likes of Facebook, YouTube etc.
Well, Twitter appears to have caught on to the problem and has now embarked upon a series of moves aimed towards providing a closer integration between the two. The company has started doubling down upon video content of late as well — including live streams. For example, replacing the “Moments” tab with “Explore” also reflected this and the new option wants you to have an easier time of discovering trending videos. The list also includes live streams from individual users in addition to the various deals Twitter has stuck with the likes of NFL, to directly broadcast their events to its users.
Meanwhile, under the new order of things, you can find live videos by visiting the “Top Trends” within the Explore tab. The experience of watching one of these videos is identical to watching it on Periscope and you can heart, comment and retweet the video.
And considering that you don’t need to have the Periscope app to access these videos — only Twitter would do –it would appear that the social media platform had made the Periscope app even more redundant. Who knows, the company might just pull a Vine on it as well.
