Commentary

Can Video Save Twitter?

That’s clearly what the social giant is thinking.

To that end, the network is increasing its allotted video upload length from 30 seconds to -- what else? -- 140 seconds.

In the near future, the longer upload limits are also coming to Twitter’s Vine unit. Until now, Vine’s video upload time was capped at six seconds.

For the first time, meanwhile, Vine plans to share its ad revenue with top content creators. The new system will rely on Twitter’s Amplify video ad program to run pre-roll ads along with videos.

Twitter is also launching Engage: a new app for video creators to better track their popularity and manage their fan bases.

“We’ve made it easier to manage those daily interactions and measure success,” said Matt Dennebaum, Twitter's senior product manager.

In the near future, meanwhile, when users encounter videos in their Twitter timeline, they will be able to click that video to launch “Watch Mode” -- a separate section of the app featuring other videos they may like.

Why is video so vital to Twitter’s future?

Increasingly, it's because brands don’t want to buy advertising that lacks a strong video component, Adam Bain, chief operating officer at Twitter, said earlier this year.

Therefore, the company’s video push isn’t limited to longer upload times.

Just this week, in fact, the social giant dropped a reported $150 million on Magic Pony, a machine-learning startup that specializes in improving the look of low-resolution video in real time.

“Magic Pony’s technology … will be used to enhance our strength in live and video and opens up a whole lot of exciting creative possibilities,” Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey explained in a related blog post.

1 comment about "Can Video Save Twitter?".
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  1. Bharat Mamtora from Nimblechapps Pvt. Ltd., June 22, 2016 at 7:58 a.m.

    I want to know that why anyone will watch video on Twitter?

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