Periscope introduces Producer to help professionals broadcast to Twitter

Twitter wants to help you step up your livestreams.

The social network's livestreaming app Periscope is opening up its app so that users can live stream directly from cameras other than the ones on their smartphones. The effort, called Periscope Producer, is meant to help broaden the reach of live video on Twitter by making it more accessible to professional broadcasters.

At a basic level, Producer allows broadcasters to livestream to Periscope and Twitter directly from their own camera setup — whether it's a laptop webcam or a professional-grade video camera. But it also opens up other features likely to appeal to pros, such as the ability for broadcasters to add custom animations, graphics and even advertising to their streams. (Periscope doesn't have these tools built-in, but Producer makes it possible for broadcasters to add these elements manually.)

The goal, says Periscope CEO Kayvon Beykpour, is to expand the type of live video content that's available on Periscope and Twitter.

"We want to broaden what can go into the Periscope ecosystem," Beykpour said during a press event in San Francisco on Wednesday. "If it can be captured and distributed live through either software or hardware, we want it to be able to be piped into Periscope and Twitter."

Periscope has been testing the platform for the last six weeks with a small group of partners that's included media companies like ABC, Telemundo, Fox and CBS, as well companies like Disney and Louis Vuitton. Now, Twitter is ready to open Producer up to more people.

Organizations and individuals who are interested in using Producer can now sign up to be part of the platform.

Previously, Periscope had introduced a couple of hardware integrations, including the ability to broadcast from a GoPro and DJI drones. Unlike those one-off integrations, which required you to pair the Periscope app to your drone or action camera, getting set up for Periscope Producer is a little more involved.

Producer requires broadcasters to use encoding software or hardware in order to link Periscope to the relevant camera feed. This is similar to how livestreaming on YouTube works, but it does mean that Producer is more likely to be used by brands, media companies and professional streamers than casual users.

Beykpour says he expects broadcasts created via Producer will be "an extremely small subset" of Periscope's daily broadcasts, most of which will continue to come from smartphones. But as Twitter continues to prioritize live video and events, enabling professional-grade live streaming could go a long way toward realizing its goals.