Twitter To Focus On Video Use In 2015

The social media platform Twitter is due to increase its focus on the use of video services on the site in a move described as “making video the natural platform” for the channel, The Drum reports. It is believed that as part of the new focus, Twitter will expand upon its existing video products and also develop the offerings, giving advertisers the chance to take advantage of its one-click play service.

This will encourage more advertisers to post more content on the site, it is believed. Alongside this renewed attention to video comes the availability of Snappy TV – a live clipping platform acquired by Twitter in the summer of 2014 – to advertisers. This will form part of Twitter’s aim to prove the “huge opportunity” that video has if used appropriately at live events.

Matt Boak, the UK entertainment lead for Twitter, has called 2015 the “year of video”, noting that the platform had helped sell 18% of UK cinema ticket sales within a three-year period. Boak further commented, saying: “Some of you will already be aware of our native player which contains a pre-expanded, one-click play video unit […] we’re actually going to be making that available to all advertisers this year, which is a great first step in making video the natural platform on Twitter.”

The director for planning at Twitter, David Wilding, explained to The Drum that video works “side by side” with mobile, as both offer the opportunity to convey messages across to users in an engaging fashion.

This comes in response to rival social networking site Facebook recently revealing that it had recorded one billion daily video views. Twitter also revealed that it plans to launch a rival for online video service YouTube which will not support videos hosted on rival platforms, in a tactful move by the social networking site.