A few years after Facebook starting testing audio-only streaming, Twitter is bringing the feature to its Periscope on iOS, with Android coming soon.
Live-streaming isn’t much without video, right? Wrong – at least according to Facebook, which started testing its own Live Audio feature in December of 2016. Well, it’s not just Facebook. It’s also “something the community has been asking for” on Twitter.
According to Twitter Engineer Richard Plom, many users have even been streaming live audio “by covering the camera lens.” People may want to “want to broadcast and interact with others via Periscope’s powerful chatroom feature” he explains, but “are not comfortable being on camera.”
So, here it is. Broadcasting with audio only is on its way to Periscope for iOS.
Sometimes you just want to talk, without being on camera. We’re launching audio-only broadcasting, so your followers can hear, but not see you.
Rolling out now for iOS. pic.twitter.com/tBsm37NcdH
— Twitter (@Twitter) September 7, 2018
Now people can be as camera-shy as they want. Of course, the feature will benefit those users, but also publishers that simply don’t have the technical means to do live video.
Audio-only streaming is live podcasting, and we all know how popular that has become in recent years. There are currently up to 124 million people in the US who listen to podcasts.
Video might be the most popular format for creators currently, but there is still a very big market for audio on its own. It’s certainly something worth considering.
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