Twitter launched Periscope on 26 March 2015, turning a phone into a live broadcasting tool that anyone could carry. Viewers could discover a stream, watch events unfold in real time and respond while the person filming was still on air. The standalone app closed in 2021 after many of its features had been absorbed into Twitter.
Why It Mattered
Periscope helped make live video feel immediate and ordinary rather than something reserved for television crews. A protest, journey, performance or quiet moment could be broadcast to strangers within seconds, shaping the way later social platforms treated live video.
Launch function
- The app let people broadcast and watch live video from a mobile phone.
- It launched publicly for iOS on 26 March 2015, with Android then in development.
Twitter relationship
- Twitter acquired the Periscope company in January 2015.
- The product was introduced as a complement to Twitter.
Standalone closure
- Periscope announced removal from app stores by March 2021.
- The company said usage had declined while the cost of maintaining the separate app was increasing.
- Broadcast archives could be downloaded, while broadcasts shared to Twitter remained as replays.
- Periscope also said its core live-video capabilities had been incorporated into Twitter.
Associated With
Periscope; acquired by Twitter before launch - creator or operator, brand
Defining Feature
Live video broadcast and viewing from a mobile phone
Status
Discontinued - The separate mobile app was discontinued by March 2021
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Caption
Periscope's landscape presentation widened the live-broadcast view, part of an effort to make phone-based streaming feel immediate while supporting more ways to watch.
