Periscope put simply is a live streaming video platform that allows you transmit a live recording to your Periscope and Twitter followers.
Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein came up with the idea for Periscope while travelling abroad in 2013. Beykpour wanted to see what was happening in Istanbul when protests broke out in Taksim Square, he turned to Twitter. While he could read about the protests in Taksim Square he couldn’t see them.
In 2014 the pair launched Persicope.
With the app gaining popularity, in March 2015 it was announced that Twitter had acquired the app and reportedly paid $100 million in cash plus an additional stock compensation package.
In August 2015 it was announced that Periscope had 10 million active accounts with users watching 40 years’ worth of content daily and that’s just from app streams!
So who’s been using Periscope?
The app has become the talk of the technology world, with it been a popular hit with broadcasters and media companies who have realised they can reach new audiences easily and cheaply.
Sky News presenters have used the app to show viewers behind the scenes footage, David Cameron also used the app to broadcast his first post-election address.
Celebrities are also starting to follow trend and sign up too, with the likes of David Blaine, Ringo Starr and Arnold Schwarzengger, just a few of the early adopters.
The future of Periscope?
The service itself is still relatively new and upcoming, and many apps come and go.
Periscope’s main rival ‘Meerkat’ rebranded and launched within a few days of Periscope hitting the app store, however Periscope still seems to the most popular of the two with it having close connections to the Twitter Brand.
The introduction of Periscope and similar applications confirms that live-streaming is here to stay and will continue to rise.
