Over the last few weeks a small Israeli company called ‘Meerkat’ has stormed the mobile video scene. I can’t fully explain the phenomenon, but the APP is at the top of Apple’s best curated stream and sure to break into the top 150 ‘free’ apps in the app store. I have been using the product and it is awesome. It is intimate, fun, simple and powerful.
Last month Twitter ($TWTR) bought a startup called Periscope (for a reported $100 million) and the product has not even launched. I have used the beta product and it is awesome. The good news is that Wall Street does not know it exists. Maybe 1,000-2,000 people are using it and when I tried it the first time I bought some Twitter stock. Periscope will be easy to monetize if it launches and scales smoothly.
I am really excited for livestreaming video from my iPhone. I feel like a kid with a new toy. It is a feature/product that will launch new creative stars and change the way news is seen.
Livestreaming video is not new, but timing is everything. The iPhone 6 and 6+ really matter and Twitter turns 9 years old this week. Without Twitter’s global and real-time reach, we would still just be uploading to YouTube.
I don’t know how Google and their Hangouts have missed the revolution, but they have for now.
It is also a dream come true for Verizon ($VZ), AT&T ($T) and T-Mobile ($TMUS). This month Verizon will hit me for 20MB and just a few months ago I was hard pressed to hit 6 MB.
Of course, for most people the sticker shock of the data increases along with battery drain may slow the growth, but I like the risk/reward.
As for vertical use cases, the financial markets will never be the same. I won’t get into the specifics right now as I am busy making my own notes and organizing all my product thoughts, but this won’t be kind to cable and incumbents. The millenials have one more reason to turn off their TV’s.
Presuming you mean GB usage
Live streaming performances and events from your phone to your thousands of followers… You have just become your own TV station.
Imagine layering in realtime video with a lot of different businesses and apps. Power
ya i have been
I’m going to meerkat offices Wednesday.
Great piece, there is an obvious fit for this tech in many verticals. It’s great to see mobile live video get such a shot in the arm.
I tested a live streaming application much more complete and beautiful. The name is AltersLive, see in http://www.alterslive.com
Great post. Google has been spending way too much time in the clouds and have neglected us mere mortals who have no use for Geek glasses or VR goggles.
MeerKat will on Google Glass 2. Believe me:)
You are probably right.
We have an app doing not only live broadcasting but also 4 way facechatting, timeline, and much more. The platform converges all the necessary features. Check it out – http://www.airelive.com or you can download from app store both Android and iPhone.