Twitter is making it easier for users to find live broadcasts from the accounts they follow, while also giving advertisers running in-stream video ad campaigns prime real estate by pushing video content to a prominent spot on the app.
Twitter, who made the announcement yesterday, said it would put livestreams from followed accounts atop a user’s timeline.
We’re making it easier to find and watch live broadcasts. Now, when accounts you follow go live, the stream will appear right at the top of your timeline.
Catch breaking news, your favorite personalities, and can’t-miss sports moments. Rolling out now on iOS and Android. pic.twitter.com/gka2NDHGDX
— Twitter (@Twitter) September 13, 2018
Back in April 2017, Twitter opened up in-stream video ads to video clips and livestream content. At first, the company offered the ads to just advertisers who had been white-listed via Twitter’s Amplify platform. The in-stream video ads ran in video content from Amplify’s publishing partners. This list included TV networks, major sports networks, and news and publishing networks.
In June of this year, in-stream video ads were made available to all adversisters by making the ad unit available to purchase within its self-serve ad tools.
Twitter, at that time, referenced a Nielsen Brand Effect report, showing Twitter users exposed to in-stream video ads were 70 percent more likely to recall a brand’s ad and 28 percent more likely to be aware of the brand compared to users who did not see the in-stream ad. The data also revealed a six percent higher purchase intent for users who had viewed in-stream video ads.
The primary focus these recent months have been the overall health of its platform and election integrity — but video is definitely more than a blip on its radar. Earlier this year, the company reported video advertising accounted for more than half of its Q1 ad revenue. Of the $575 million it earned from advertising, $288 million was attributed to video ads.