Twitter has announced that it’s closing its livestreaming platform Periscope as of spring 2021.
The social media network purchased Periscope back in 2015, announcing the acquisition before the company had even been publicly launched.
In a blog post entitled ‘Farewell, Periscope’, the team behind the platform wrote: “Today, weâre sharing that we have made the difficult decision to discontinue Periscope as a separate mobile app by March 2021.
“First off, we want to be transparent about why weâre making this decision, especially to those of you who are active and passionate users of Periscope today. The truth is that the Periscope app is in an unsustainable maintenance-mode state, and has been for a while.
Some personal news: the Periscope app will be going away next year. Weâre here to say goodbye.
We appreciate all the support, learnings, and broadcasts from our vibrant creator community. More on our difficult decision to discontinue the app: https://t.co/jZWjDlsRHk (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Kfgvocq31O
— Periscope (@PeriscopeCo) December 15, 2020
“Over the past couple of years, weâve seen declining usage and know that the cost to support the app will only continue to go up over time. Leaving it in its current state isnât doing right by the current and former Periscope community or by Twitter.”
The message continued: “We still believe in the power of live video to solve impactful problems, which is why weâve brought most of the core capabilities of Periscope into Twitter.
“We probably would have made this decision sooner if it werenât for all of the projects we reprioritised due to the events of 2020. Weâre sharing our decision with you now because we want to be transparent and honest about where weâre at and whatâs next.”
Revealing that users will be able to download an archive of their Periscope broadcasts before the app is removed next March, the message also said that users will be able to go ‘live’ directly via Twitter moving forwards.
“Although itâs time to say goodbye, the legacy of Periscope will live on far beyond the boundaries of the app itself,” the blog post concluded. “The capabilities and ethos of the Periscope team and infrastructure already permeate Twitter, and weâre confident that live video still has the potential of seeing an even wider audience within the Twitter product.”
Back in 2016, Radiohead encouraged fans to use mobile phones at a concert in Iceand, so that the audience could stream the show on Periscope.
Before their concert at the Secret Solstice festival, an advert on Radioheadâs website W.A.S.T.E. gave wi-fi codes for the venue to make it easier for fans to stream the show from their phones.
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