Meerkat Bows Outs Of Livestreaming Race

Meerkat Bows Outs Of Livestreaming Race

Despite receiving high praise during its SXSW 2015 debut, live-streaming app Meerkat is ditching its live broadcast feature and moving to a video social network, where “everybody is always live”.

Meerkat’s CEO Ben Rubin explained the decision in a blog post on the company’s website, including an email which was sent to investors. In the investor email Rubin argued that Twitter’s live-streaming app Periscope and Facebook’s live-streaming feature Facebook Live “drew more early users to them away from us and we were not able to grow as quickly alongside as we had planned.

“Live video has become an interesting feature on top of Twitter and Facebook, but it hasn’t yet developed into a self-sustaining new network as we hoped we would do with Meerkat.”

Rubin argued that people who are not celebrities/media/news don’t see a value proposition in being live (just yet): “For most regular people — it has been hard to figure out when or even why to go live.

“Given all of this, one-to-many mobile live video is still in a state of infancy and a lot of its success depends on these media, stars, or influencers. Their main currency is audience and viewership. As long as we are competing on those with Twitter/Periscope and Facebook Live, we don’t think the current Meerkat product is set up to win.”

Rubin has expanded on the email in a blog post, saying: “We love the content you create and the community that you’ve built. Meerkat isn’t going anywhere, but we are thinking about cool new ways that live video might become a part of everyone’s daily lives.

“We wanted to share with you the full memo that was referenced in the news because we believe it shows what we’re about and how this decision was made.

“Change is never easy. We’ve been humbled by the attention we’ve received so far, and honored to have you along for this wild ride. We hope you’ll continue to be a part of the Colony, no matter what shape it takes.”




Please login with linkedin to comment

einsights McDonald's. Taco Bell Online ads Social Media

Latest News

The National Breast Cancer Foundation Partners With VML To Boost Funds
  • Campaigns

The National Breast Cancer Foundation Partners With VML To Boost Funds

Today the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and VML announce their partnership in Australia. Together they will create a future-focussed, connected marketing and customer experience strategy that will propel the not-for-profit’s ability to raise funds and continue to invest in world-class research towards their vision of Zero Deaths from breast cancer. The team will develop […]

Perry ‘Pez’ Lazaris Named New National Hit Network Announcer
  • Media

Perry ‘Pez’ Lazaris Named New National Hit Network Announcer

The Hit Network has announced Perry ‘Pez’ Lazaris will be taking over the Hit Network’s regional Afternoon shift from Monday, 6 May. Pez knows a thing or two about radio with a career spanning over 15 years, working in Townsville, Adelaide, Western Australia and most recently, Newcastle. Now, Pez will take over the national regional […]

Before Adland: Garry Dawson’s Journey From Teacher To Marketer
  • Advertising

Before Adland: Garry Dawson’s Journey From Teacher To Marketer

Many know Garry Dawson as the prolific marketing manager behind the Hopeful Monsters team, but the story many don’t know is how a chance encounter at a local cafe just three years ago changed the trajectory of his entire life. Having worked as a teacher for six years at this point, Dawson was preparing a […]

Scott Cam Urges Tradies To Prioritise Sun Protection
  • Campaigns

Scott Cam Urges Tradies To Prioritise Sun Protection

New research from SafetyCulture has shed some light on the number of Aussies working outside without proper sun protection. The survey of more than 1,000 Aussie outdoor workers, which included the likes of tradies, landscapers, and road workers, revealed that almost all (93 per cent) are concerned about the long-term effects of working in the sun. […]

PubMatic Study: Advertising On Retail Media Is 50% More Effective Than Social Media
  • Advertising

PubMatic Study: Advertising On Retail Media Is 50% More Effective Than Social Media

PubMatic has released a new study examining the influence of digital media on shopper behaviour at the top and bottom of the funnel. The research found that retail websites are approximately 50 per cent more effective at driving a response from shoppers than social media. Commissioned by Inside Retail and conducted by PubMatic, 500 Australian […]

From MOWING to life GROWING:  Jim Penman launches ‘Life Coaching’ services
  • Marketing

From MOWING to life GROWING: Jim Penman launches ‘Life Coaching’ services

Jim Penman, founder of the Jim’s Group, has officially launched Jim’s Life Coaching and intends to help millions of Australians live their best life. “Life coaching is a powerful and effective way to achieve success in business and personal life. It helps people to set their own goals, and then work out how to get there. It has […]

Budweiser Brazil Turns Songs That Name Drop The Iconic Brand Into Spotify Ads
  • Campaigns

Budweiser Brazil Turns Songs That Name Drop The Iconic Brand Into Spotify Ads

Budweiser has created a new way of advertising on Spotify to ensure that ads don’t ruin the vibe of your favourite playlists. UninterruptAds: a pioneering initiative, converts songs that mention the brand’s name into targeted ads within the platform in Brazil. When the Brazilian team identified that their name is present in more than 500 tracks […]

Effie Worldwide Strengthens Board With 6 New Members
  • Marketing

Effie Worldwide Strengthens Board With 6 New Members

Effie Worldwide, has announced six new members to their Worldwide Board of Directors, alongside three new co-chairs of the Future Council; a powerful injection of fresh talent as the organization evolves across all its programs to expand its mission to champion marketing effectiveness. The Effie Board contributes to the non-profit’s mission to champion effectiveness through […]

Special Enlist A Penguin Named Nigel In Latest Energy Campaign For Contact
  • Campaigns

Special Enlist A Penguin Named Nigel In Latest Energy Campaign For Contact

After introducing “Flatties” a couple of weeks ago, Contact and Special have now enlisted the help of rule-stickler penguin Nigel to motivate all Kiwis to reduce their energy consumption during peak hours. Contact is investing heavily in creating more renewable energy sources to lead the way in decarbonising New Zealand, but to make an even […]

Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth & George Miller Ignite Sydney For Epic Mad Max Launch
  • Campaigns

Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth & George Miller Ignite Sydney For Epic Mad Max Launch

The global promotional tour for Universal’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the much-anticipated return to the iconic dystopian world Academy Award-winning mastermind George Miller created 45 years ago, kicked off in epic fashion in Sydney yesterday. Anya Taylor-Joy returned to Australia, joining Chris Hemsworth, George Miller and producer Doug Mitchell at a fiery media call […]

IAS Launches First-To-Market Integration With Roblox To Provide 3D Immersive Measurement

    IAS Launches First-To-Market Integration With Roblox To Provide 3D Immersive Measurement

    Integral Ad Science, a global media measurement and optimization platform, today announced a market integration with Roblox, a global immersive platform for connection and communication. Available for advertising campaigns on Roblox later this year, IAS’s Viewability and Invalid Traffic (IVT) Measurement products will provide advertisers increased transparency into the quality of their Immersive Ads within […]