Periscope appears to be stepping up its live streams’ production quality in order to keep step with Facebook Live.
On Thursday, popular Periscope broadcaster Alex Pettit posted a Periscope stream that incorporated pre-recorded video and graphics during the live broadcast, as spotted by Mashable’s Sam Sheffer. That seems to be a new thing, since Periscope has never announced a way for people to add anything to their live streams other than whatever appears in front of their phone cameras.
LIVE on #Periscope: Rocket Explodes in Florida, plus more of Today’s Tech News #Tech https://t.co/BScXQyDcxB — Alex Pettitt (@Alexpettitt) September 1, 2016
“We’re always testing new functionality that gives our broadcasters the ability to create great content,” a Periscope spokesperson said when asked about the apparent tests, declining to comment on how someone like Pettit is able to insert pre-recorded videos and graphics to their live streams and if/when Periscope plans to roll out that option officially.
Inserting pre-recorded video and graphics makes a Periscope stream seem less like the off-the-cuff peek that popularized mobile live-streaming apps last year and more like a TV-style production. That appears to be the entire point. Twitter, in particular, has been trying to attract more TV-quality live broadcasts this year, through its deals with the NFL, CBS, Bloomberg and others. And earlier this year, Facebook added a way for media companies to broadcast pre-recorded footage through Facebook Live.
Why opt for more TV-like broadcasts? Because maybe they’ll bring TV-loving advertisers and audiences into the fold.
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