Twitter delivers 'the roar of the crowd' with its Live Video offering

David Wilding, the social media giant’s Director of Planning, spoke of the channel’s influence and impact before talking the audience through its latest video products.

Twitter provides an ‘attentive’ audience, he said - claiming, too, that the “18m most influential” people in the UK are using the channel.

Scott Eblen, Director of Product Management, then showcased ‘Live Video’ – a recent development which he said had been created here in London.

Eblen described it as a means of providing “the roar of the crowd” or “the feeling of being in the stadium”.

“It gives you a richer perspective,” he added.

What’s more, he revealed that Twitter has also launched a TV app, which delivers an immersive, full-screen experience.

And it can add customised mid-roll ads with 30-second ad placements within the live stream, he told the audience, adding: “Hopefully that gives you a sense of why we’re excited.”

Wilding then returned to the stage to outline how brands are using Twitter’s Amplify, Periscope and Niche offerings.

Amplify, he said, works well for brands, for rights holders, and for users.

In fact, Twitter’s recent deal with Sky Sports to show real-time Premier League highlights, was its biggest UK partnership deal to date, he revealed.

“It can work for any live event – whether entertainment, music or sport,” he said.

Drawing the audience’s attention then to Niche - a professional network for social media creators – and which he said offers fast turnaround, highly impactful content, Wilding told guests: “We’re seeing people booking their second and third Niche campaigns now because it’s working.”

He also revealed that ‘Periscope Producer’ means it is now possible to import any live feed into Twitter from any device and to do it in HD - pointing out that this has gone down ‘extremely well’ with premium brands such as Louis Vuitton.

Last, but certainly not least, Georgina Parnell, Twitter’s Head of Entertainment Partnerships, revealed that, in her opinion, “‘Moments’ is … the best way to find and tell stories on Twitter.”

A panel of experts - including producers from BBC Radio 1 and ITV - then joined her on stage to describe how they were planning to leverage ‘Moments’ to promote their own content - and how popular it had proven already, especially amongst young audiences.