US-based micro blogging firm; Twitter Inc. on Wednesday launched ‘Super Hearts‘ for people to earn money by streaming live on its Periscope service, a first for Twitter and a way for the company to try to compete with YouTube and others in the search for Internet talent.
The feature has been made available to US users, but Periscope plans to expand globally in the coming weeks, it said.
In a Medium post for Periscope, the firm said people watching Periscope Live will be able to send performers and broadcasters their like a gratuity using a variety of heart shapes that are, in effect, a virtual currency they can purchase.
First timers sending Super Hearts can tap “get coins” to purchase a coin package from the App Store or Play Store. Each package allows them to send Super Hearts until the coins run out.
“Once you stock up, you can select and send any of the Super Hearts,” the company said.
Broadcasters who receive the equivalent of about USD$175 (Roughly 628,250 UGX) in Super Hearts will be designated as “Super Broadcasters” and be able to cash out the money as earnings while everyone who sends Super Hearts will be added to a Leaderboard to display who’s given the most love to the broadcaster.
After fees and payment processing, broadcasters will get about 70% of the remaining revenue, Twitter said. It declined to provide an estimate of its own potential revenue from the service.
Notably, Periscope was launched in 2015 by its mother firm; Twitter, who in a press statement said it streamed 77 million hours of live, user-generated video in the first three months of this year.
Editor’s Note: Super Hearts are available on Periscope for Android and iOS. You’ll also be able to see Super Hearts on Periscope.tv and Twitter.
(This article contains inputs from Reuters and NDTV news…..)
