Twitter has revealed that a major update is on the cards for its Periscope live video app. Some of the new features that will be added include the ability to save broadcasts longer than 24 hours and new search options that will make it easier for users to find live streams and replays.
In the past, users could only search for livestreams from people that they followed, but soon they will be able to perform searches using titles, topics, or even hashtags.
In addition, new categories will be added to make it easier for people find videos of interest. These will be pre-populated and pertain to topics such as Food, Travel and Music. Video creators will be able to add the relevant topic hashtag to the title of their broadcast or select a topic after starting the broadcast. Twitter is hoping this will help people stay on top of live events around the world.
All broadcasts will now be saved automatically to a person’s profile on Periscope and tweets. In the past, the #save hashtag had to be used, but now it will simply be a matter of going into settings and opting to automatically delete broadcasts after 24 hours or erase individual broadcasts as needed. Saving a stream will also save its comments and hearts.
Live broadcasts from drones
The update will also allow people to share live broadcasts directly from drones made by manufacturer DJI. This will pit Twitter firmly against Facebook, which recently opened up its own livestreaming API to camera makers and developers.
Users who wish to make use of this feature must connect their smartphones to one of the supported DJI drones, and Periscope will then pull its video feed. Users will also be able to add their own narration and draw on the broadcast to highlight areas of interest.
Periscope announced in March that it had aired more than 200 million streams during its first year of existence, with half of them created during the first quarter of this year.
Periscope co-founder Kayvon Beykpour said: “People are using Periscope to share what’s happening in the world around them, so we felt it was time to evolve beyond the restraint of 24 hours and allow this content to stay in the public record.”
The app update is expected to take place in approximately three weeks. Meanwhile, Facebook rolled out its own design overhaul for live video about a month ago.
