Launching for iOS in March and Android in May, the mobile software lets users stream live broadcasts right from their smartphone, while viewers can use the app to search streams from around the world and interact via live comments, questions, and “hearts,” which show a broadcaster you’re enjoying their stream.
The Twitter-owned app actually hit the 10 million mark on August 2, though its total number of daily active users, also released on Wednesday, are markedly lower at 2 million.
It’s all about time watched, apparently
Despite revealing user numbers, Periscope says “time watched” is actually the metric “we care about most.” This shows the aggregate amount of time that people spend watching live broadcasts and conveniently produces an impressive-sounding stat that shows users are now watching 40 years’ worth of video each day. Yes, that does sound like a lot, doesn’t it.
The startup, which currently operates with 23 full-time workers, is pretty serious about its time-watched metric, with a good chunk of its blog post taken up with explaining about why it places it above daily user counts. For starters, it says the metric best reflects “the value we’re creating for people and the world.”
It says time watched is also useful “because it can capture viewership of Periscope broadcasts outside of iOS/Android” at places like periscope.tv or via its new Couchmode feature.
In his own broadcast on Wednesday, Periscope co-creator Kayvon Beykpour said his team was working on introducing a landscape mode, and may also incorporate a fast-forward button for skipping through replays, which, if the broadcaster allows it, are available to view for 24 hours after going out live.
Periscope is still very much in its infancy with broadcasters continuing to work out how to get the most from it. For regular folks it might just mean sounding off on a random topic, while a number of news outlets have also been experimenting with it as a way to report breaking news. Businesses, too, are looking at how it might work for them, and celebrities have also been dropping by to take it for a spin.
DT, too, has embraced the platform, using the app to broadcast its weekly Trends With Benefits show.
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