We Are All Broadcasters: Meerkat and Live Streaming
One of the biggest breakout apps as of late is Meerkat. Meerkat is a live video-streaming app that allows users to easily share live video feeds to their connections on Meerkat and on Twitter. Users have two options: schedule a stream for the future or start streaming right now. Once you do, Twitter followers are notified and can tune in.
Broadasting is nothing new. We’ve seen it with Justin.TV, Hangouts On Air, Twitch and many, many others, but the thing about Meerkat is it’s dead simple. Anyone can do it with little to no effort.
Dead-Simple Broadcasting
The social web has democratized everything. Blogs allow all of us to be publishers. Platforms like Instagram empower anyone to add a little flair to their photography. Podcasts have given anyone with a microphone a platform to share their voices with the world.
The barriers for creating media are going lower and lower. Now, it seems broadcasting is next, and it makes sense. The social web has experienced a strong push for video over the past year from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter.
The rise of Meerkat is occurring at an opportune time because Twitter has seen the writing on the wall for itself. It’s acquiring Periscope, another live video-broadcasting app.
Whether it’s Meerkat, Periscope, another platform or a combination of many that take off with mass adoption, the behavior of live video-broadcasting seems to be a given at this point.
Broadcasting for Business
The most obvious opportunity for brands is sharing real-time news and updates. Brands can schedule and plan out exclusive content for the followers who choose to tune in. It offers a way for brands to reward the followers who are paying attention. Brands like JC Penny and Starbucks are already on board.
What may be more important, however, is video broadcasting’s potential for everyday users. Brands that create experiences, whether it’s at experiential events, in-store or with the products themselves have the opportunity to encourage people to livestream their experiences. Unboxing videos go from being videos uploaded after the fact to being live experiences of people showing their enthusiasm immediately after purchasing a product.
Get ready for ubiquitous live broadcasting.