What Happened
Twitter-owned live-streaming service Periscope has added three new tools aimed to help broadcasters better drive engagement. The Superfans feature provides broadcasters with a list of their most engaged viewers to help them identify their biggest fans and gain insights about their audience. The new Groups feature enables broadcasters to selectively stream to certain groups of their followers, allowing for exclusive reveals and special offers for a select group of audience. Last but not the least, Periscope rolled out a revamped web portal that allows desktop viewers to do the same things that are previously limited to its mobile app, such as send hearts or comments during live broadcasts.
Why Brands Should Care
All three new features should come as welcome additions for brands using Periscope as a live video platform to connect with their audience in real time. Facing mounting pressure from Facebook Live’s rapid growth and Instagram’s upcoming live streaming product, Periscope will need more differentiating features like these to maintain its early-mover advantages.
At a time when live-streaming platforms are quickly growing and increasingly drawing consumer attention, brands and publishers such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Tastemade are also rushing to this emerging medium to connect with customers in real time. For brands that are looking to try their hands at live video, it is important to keep an open mind and choose a platform that best suits your need and, perhaps more importantly, matches where your audience is.
Source: The Verge
Header image courtesy of Periscope’s Medium blog
