10-28-2016, 12:41 PM
With Twitter’s future still in question following failed attempts at finding an acquirer and the recently announced layoffs of nine percent of its workforce, the company announced it’s shutting down its standalone short-form video app, Vine. According to a post, nothing is changing immediately — the website and apps will remain online for the time being, and users will be given a chance to download their Vine videos ahead of its official closure.
The announcement was devoid of any explanations about what led to the decision, only stating that Twitter would share more news on its blog and via its official Twitter account in the future regarding what comes next. While the plan is to wind down Vine’s operations, Twitter also says the website will remain online because the company thinks “it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made.”
In recent days, Twitter has been focusing more on its Periscope product and live streaming rather than the short looping video service Vine, which is home now to a number of creators. It even integrated live streaming into the service, offering to alert users when someone you follow goes live. It has also focused heavily on live TV, via partnerships to stream televised content with organizations like the NFL, Bloomberg, and others.
The team had already had a spate of departures and all three co-founders previously left. And it seems there’s still some frustration about the way Twitter has handled the product.
The announcement was devoid of any explanations about what led to the decision, only stating that Twitter would share more news on its blog and via its official Twitter account in the future regarding what comes next. While the plan is to wind down Vine’s operations, Twitter also says the website will remain online because the company thinks “it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made.”
In recent days, Twitter has been focusing more on its Periscope product and live streaming rather than the short looping video service Vine, which is home now to a number of creators. It even integrated live streaming into the service, offering to alert users when someone you follow goes live. It has also focused heavily on live TV, via partnerships to stream televised content with organizations like the NFL, Bloomberg, and others.
Quote:Acquired by Twitter in 2012, Vine started off strong, becoming the No. 1 app on the iTunes App Store only six months after joining the company. At one point, Vine had more than 200 million active users, yet it struggled to maintain traction and saw a decline in popularity in recent months. – Vine co-founder Rus Yusupov
The team had already had a spate of departures and all three co-founders previously left. And it seems there’s still some frustration about the way Twitter has handled the product.