Twitter dropping Periscope mobile app for live streams

Twitter on Tuesday said its Periscope mobile app for live streaming video will shut down by March as use of it declines and the cost of maintaining it goes up.

Twitter bought Periscope in 2015 before it launched and as the popularity of now defunct Meerkat signalled keen interest in people broadcasting video from smartphones.

“We have made the difficult decision to discontinue Periscope as a separate mobile app,” the team said in a blog post.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen declining usage and know that the cost to support the app will only continue to go up over time.”