Periscope, a live-streaming video app that Twitter introduced on Thursday, is one among a surge of such apps with names like Meerkat and Camio that are taking the social media world by storm, Mike Issac and Vindu Goel report.
The premise of Periscope, Meerkat and others is simple: Capture video of yourself doing anything from exploring a new city to playing with your dog, all using nothing more than your smartphone camera. The apps notify others that you are streaming live video of yourself, and you can share it with your friends and followers.
The concept is hardly novel and has resulted in numerous start-up flops in the past. For years, entrepreneurs have tried to make live-streaming video catch on with the masses, with companies like YouNow, Justin.tv and Livestream offering their own takes on personal broadcasting.
But recently there has been something of a renaissance of live-streaming apps. And companies like Twitter and eager venture capitalists are spending millions of dollars on what they bet will be the next big thing to catch on with consumers. Read more »