In the social landscape, Facebook has definitely popularized live video streaming by making it available to all of its nearly 2 billion daily active users. But, Twitter has steadily been planning out its video strategy — starting with Periscope, but fresh reports now suggest that the micro-blogging platform is ready to push the boundary on its live streaming efforts. It is now ready to become the next destination for live video streaming on the interwebs.
Twitter is taking a page out of Facebook’s live video guide book and planning to debut its own live streaming API for media firms next week, reports The Information. This will allow media firms to directly plug into and broadcast their live streams on Twitter, instead of going through its video streaming app Periscope. The company had recently integrated it into its mobile app to enable users to natively stream videos on the go — without the need of an extra app.
It’s not as if the company currently does not allow media firms to stream live on Twitter. It already has an internal live streaming API in place but it requires extensive partnership and planning to pull it off, that too well in advance. The company sets up an exclusive live feed page for the event it has partnered with, to showcase the stream as well as user reactions simultaneously. But, opening up the live streaming API to media firms will eliminate the need for such special contracts and allow them to stream as per their convenience.
As the language report suggests, these new live streaming tools will currently only be accessible to media firms. The average Twitter user will most likely have to still depend on Periscope to stream from their smartphones. But, it will be interesting to see if Twitter is also planning to adopt strategies similar to Facebook. I’m intrigued to find out if Twitter’s live-streaming API will be integrated with cameras or drones by any chance. Facebook surely did that, flaunted it too!
Twitter is expected to introduce the new live streaming API for media companies in the coming week. The company will also take the said launch to also announce its partnership with companies that’ll “provide back-end services for live video streaming.” The media and news organizations, such as CNN, BuzzFeed, Fox and others, will most likely be initial launch partners for the usage of these new tools.
This development comes on the heels of the micro-blogging platform’s continued efforts to host several live streaming events on their platform. It not only landed a deal to stream several football and e-sports leagues (now also a lacrosse one) but it also witnessed over 2 million views for Thursday Night Football last year. It also livestreamed U.S President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, which should ‘ve generated enough chatter on the platform.
