Down Periscope! Sporting Event Organisers Discourage Use of App

Social media technology has a history of subverting the rigid and inflexible way in which institutions transact with their customers. Napster, through use of its peer to peer technology, not only transformed the way that individuals shared music in 1999, but altered the business model of the music industry in such a way to allow the development of ubiquitous music platforms such as iTunes and Spotify.

Fast-forward to the present day and the focus of attention is now with social media technology featured around live streaming platforms such as Periscope and Meerkat.

Periscope, a company acquired by twitter for a reported £67 million, was launched on Apple operating system in March 2015, and on an Android platform May 2015. Similarly, Meerkat, a rival product, has been available on Google Play since May. Both applications allow for live broadcasting services through the users mobile telephone to any viewer online. The difference between the two applications is that Periscope saves the broadcast for a 24 hour period on completion whilst broadcasts via Meerkat cannot be saved.

The uptake of these technologies has been rapid, with over an estimated one million people signing up to Periscope, globally, in the first 10 days of release. Less so, Meerkat, has approximately 100,000 users and has recently attracted venture capital funding from the investment group that previously invested in Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.as reported in the Telegraph.

Whilst the social broadcasting of day to day activities is finding a fertile soil with social media users, the onset of the summer and the host of sporting activities is causing officials a certain amount of angst. The United States Golf Association announced recently that live streaming would not be allowed at the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay on Puget Sound and have tasked officials with monitoring the use of mobile phones for broadcasting purposes.

Event organisers at Wimbledon, whilst discouraging the use of such live broadcasting apps as Periscope so as not to ruin the viewing experience of other spectators, are making a concerted effort to embrace the ambit of social media technology available to make the tournament and experience available to a wider range of audience.

The advent of such new technologies and social media platforms is a driver for new and innovative business practices and it appears that live social broadcasting is leading edge in this new wave.