Periscope Streams Will Now Autoplay Directly Within Twitter Timelines The update marks a long-expected culmination of Twitter's acquisition of Periscope, and another means by which it's beefing up its content sprawl.
By Geoff Weiss
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
The Twitter ethos is about to become even more visually visceral.
The social network announced today that live-streaming video broadcasts from Periscope -- which Twitter snapped up for a reported $86 million last March before it had even launched -- will now be embedded directly within users' timelines. The update is only available on iOS thus far, but is arriving soon on Android.
Previously, Periscope streams had to be accessed outside of Twitter from links. But today's announcement marks a long-expected culmination of the Periscope acquisition, and yet another means by which Twitter is beefing up its content sprawl -- a 10,000-character limit is also reportedly in the works -- as it struggles to attract new users.
Related: Periscope-Like Live Video Streaming Comes to Everyday Facebook Users
Both live streams and replays of streams (which remain online for up to 24 hours after a broadcast has completed) will now autoplay by default on Twitter feeds, Periscope wrote in a blog post. When a user taps on a video, it will swell to full screen and also display hearts and the comments shared by other viewers in real time. Comments and hearts (Twitter and Periscope's hallmark equivalent of a "like"), however, can only be bestowed within the Periscope app.
Periscope also announced today that it has hosted 100 million broadcasts since its launch last year. And viewership is likely to flourish in coming months as a result of the integration. While Periscope said it had 10 million registered users last August, for instance, Twitter boasts 320 million monthly active users.
Periscope, which was named Apple's app of the year, is relatively nascent but in certain bizarre instances has spawned massive viewership. Just last week, for instance, a broadcast of people trying to figure out how to walk around a puddle in England went viral, garnering more than 70,000 viewers.
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Related: Why Live-Streaming Video Should Be the Next Battlefront in Your Brand's Social-Media Strategy
