This summer has been sizzling with new features from top video powerhouses like Snapchat, Facebook Live, Vevo, and Amazon. As new updates continue to drop, our tech roundup has you covered with the hottest updates from this past month:
Snapchat Adds New Features
Earlier this month Snapchat released two new features with an aim to improve video capturing and editing for users within the app. The first feature, Multi-Snap recording, allows users to record multiple 10-second clips, in succession, by continuing to hold down the record button. Users will no longer have to worry about having to perfectly time a moment because this feature enables them to record up to six different 10-second clips and go back to select which ones they want to add to their Stories or send to a friend. Each clip can be decorated collectively with Snapchats’s built-in creative tools and features, like their famous filters. Multi-Snap recording was developed to encourage Snapchat users to record more video content to share at a higher volume. Multi-Snap recording is currently only available on iOS devices.
In addition to Multi-Snap recording, Snapchat unveiled Tint Brush as an easy way for users to edit their photos. With Tint Brush, users can trace around certain objects in their Snaps to change its color in order to make the object stand out while preserving the image details underneath. Similar to Photoshop’s magic wand or quick selection tools, Tint Brush uses powerful object-recognition technology is limited to photos but is available for both iOS and Android devices. These new updates reflect Snapchat’s main competitive advantage against any other video platform: being able to add new and innovative applications at a very rapid pace.
Vevo Releases Watch Party Live:
Vevo is taking the social watching experience to an entirely new level with the release of Watch Party Live. Watch Party Live is a multiple-screen live streaming encounter that connects famous musicians with fans through their music videos. The original Watch Party was initially launched back in March as a way for users to engage with each other in a “virtual viewing room”. Within Watch Party, users can create video playlists, vote on which videos they would like to see next and chat with one another. Watch Party Live, takes this concept to the next level by making the actual artist the host of the Watch Party session. By utilizing picture-in-picture video chatting, similar to Twitch, artists can answer questions live or talk about their work as their video plays. As the Watch Party Live moderator, the artist will have total control over which videos play next, how the each screen is displayed, as well as the volume of their stream compared to the music video. The first artist’s line-up for this new viewing experience includes Kid Ink, Grace Vanderwaal, and Becky G.
Facebook Live Supports 4K:
In an attempt to make its 360-degree live video platform more accessible for both creators and viewers, Facebook Live has ramped-up its video technology to enable users to view any 360-degree video on Facebook in up to 4K resolution. This update will create an even more immersive VR live stream experience for users with the appropriate streaming gear. While Facebook continues to push out technology to make its platform the most appealing “premier destination for next-generation” video formats, this latest update falls short of YouTube who released similar technology late last year. Even though Facebook may have been late to the game for this particular update, it continues to aggressively promote its live-streaming platform as the perfect place to experiment new video formats. Facebook is continuing to build out its video technology in an effort to attract more content creators to treat the site as their primary distribution channel.
Amazon Video Direct Competes with Video Giants Facebook and YouTube:
A little over a year ago Amazon opened up its Prime streaming platforming to video creators and owners allowing them to distribute their content directly to Amazon’s video platform with Amazon Video Direct. Within Amazon Video Direct, content creators will have 4 different ways to generate revenue:
- A creator can distribute individual videos or shows within the Amazon Prime subscription and will receive 15 cents per hour streamed in the U.S. and 6 cents per hour streamed in the U.K., Germany, and Japan.
- Publishers can sell individual movies, shows, or video packages to customers and will retain 50% of all revenue made from rentals or purchases.
- Similar to YouTube, if a creator offers their content for free, they can opt in to receive a 55% share of ad revenue from pre-roll ads that will play before their video.
- Creators can sell add-on subscriptions
Amazon Video Direct is currently open to creators of all sizes but is especially profitable for larger channels or video publishers who will be gaining access to the estimated 79 million people who pay for Prime in the U.S. alone. In fact, Amazon reported earlier this month that within its first year, the Video Direct Program has already seen massive success, paying out “tens of millions of dollars” in royalties, with “billions of minutes” streamed. Major YouTube networks like Machinima, The Young Turks Network, StyleHaul, Kin Community and Jash have already made the transition onto the Video Direct platform, making Amazon a serious competitor to YouTube and Facebook within the digital publishing landscape.
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