Which Live Streaming App Is Right for You?
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Twitter, Inc.(NEW YORK) — With the advent of live video streaming apps, it’s now easier than ever to life-cast to your social media followers or even build a legion of fans online.
While having the technology at your fingertips is enticing, not everyone wants to be a reality star.
Here’s a look at three of the biggest live video apps and what they have to offer — including which one will pay you for just being yourself:
Periscope
It’s easy to gain a global audience on Periscope, the app that Twitter released last week.
Broadcasts from around the world are featured on the home screen of the app showing off everything from a Friday night party to a dog doing tricks to a walk down the street in Vienna.
Users have the option of choosing to push a link to their Twitter followers, allowing them to tune into the live stream.
Periscope differentiates itself by offering broadcasters the chance to let viewers replay their stream when it is complete.
Audience love is also a huge aspect of the Periscope app, which allows viewers to tap the screen and send hearts to the broadcaster, letting them know they appreciate what they’re doing.
It’s already gained a large celebrity following, including actor Aaron Paul, astronaut Chris Hadfield and magician David Blaine, who are now able to go live to their fans whenever they want.
Meerkat
The darling of South by Southwest 2015 is only around a month old but has been overshadowed in the past week with the launch of Twitter’s Periscope.
What differentiates Meerkat from the other services is its ephemeral nature — think of it as Snapchat but for live video.
When you’re done broadcasting, no one can ever watch your video again, making it ideal for people who don’t want a large video footprint to live on online.
(The broadcaster does get the option to save the video to their private camera roll.)
YouNow
The lively community includes broadcasters who do everything from sleeping on camera to singing, to hosting their own show while they’re at their day job.
Tayser Abuhamdeh, from Brooklyn, New York, who goes by the name Mr. Cashier, has gained a loyal following and a paycheck from his show on YouNow. He chats with his fans on the live broadcast in between serving customers.
YouNow CEO Adi Sideman told ABC News that top broadcasters can earn $500 and $15,000 per month, allowing some of them to even make it their full-time job.
The pay is determined by viewers, the level of audience interaction and digital “gifts” that are sent from fans to performers.
Aside from the partner program that allows designated broadcasters to earn money from their shows, YouNow also offers user engagement tools that let broadcasters poll their audience about what they want to see next.
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