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How to broadcast on Periscope

How to start a broadcast

  1. Create a Periscope account and log in.
  2. Open your broadcast preview.
    • On iOS: Tap the broadcast icon in the bottom center of the screen.
    • On Android: Tap the camera icon in the bottom right of the screen.
  3. Enter a title that describes what your viewers will see or experience in your broadcast.
  4. Select who you want to share your broadcast with.
  5. Select your location, chat, and sharing preferences using the icons above the Go LIVE button.
  6. iOS Only: Tap the microphone icon above the Go LIVE button if you want to broadcast with audio only. You can also turn the feature on or off while you’re in the middle of a broadcast. You will still be able to receive chat messages and hearts if you select this. Note: With a strong network connection, the quality of an audio-only broadcast will be as high as a broadcast with video, and creating one generally requires less bandwidth.
  7. To start your broadcast, tap the Go LIVE button.
  8. To end your broadcast, swipe the screen down and tap Stop Broadcast.

 

Who can see my broadcasts?

By default, broadcasts are public and viewable to anyone. If you create a private broadcast, only people who you invite will be able to see it. If you want to invite someone to a private broadcast, you must be following each other or you must be part of the same group.

What happens when you start a public broadcast?

  • A push notification is sent to your followers, indicating that you are live.
  • Anyone who joins your broadcast can chat (unless you’ve limited chat to people you follow) and send hearts.
  • Anyone who joins your broadcast can share it on X, with all of their followers on Periscope, with specific followers on Periscope, or share a link to the broadcast.
  • If you choose to post your broadcast, anyone can watch the broadcast on web or in their X timeline. Anyone on X can Repost the link to your broadcast to share your stream with their audience.
  • Your live broadcast and replay may appear on everyone’s Global Feed and your followers’ feeds in the Watch Tab unless you choose to delete it.

What happens when you start a private broadcast?

  • You can select who to invite to the broadcast. You can choose to invite mutuals (they follow you and you follow them) or groups that you are a part of.
  • Only the mutuals or group members you invite can watch, chat, and send hearts.
  • You can control who sees your broadcast and no one will be able to share it.
  • When you privately broadcast a video, the video and a summary of broadcast information (such as your broadcast title, when, and where you broadcasted) will be available to the mutuals or group members you have invited, unless you choose to delete it.

How do I make my broadcast private?

When you select the Broadcast Tab, your broadcast will be public by default. To select who you share your broadcast with, tap Public to change the audience.

Once you tap Public, you will see the following screen showing the groups you are a part of and a Search Mutual Followers option. To be able to search for someone, you will need to follow each other. You can select either a group or mutual followers. Once selected, tap Done in the upper right corner.

The group or mutual followers you select will show up at the top of the screen, and your broadcast will only be shared with group members or your selected followers. 

How do I share my location?

Before you start broadcasting, you'll have the option of sharing your location. Sharing your location will allow your broadcast to be discoverable on the Global Feed map and will also allow people who search for your location to discover your content. 

You can turn your location on or off by using the compass icon on the Broadcast Tab. 

What do the broadcast stats mean?

As a broadcaster, you’ll see a number of stats during and after your broadcast. Our hope is that these stats will allow you to better understand your audience over time. Here is what the stats mean:

  • Live viewers: The total number of viewers from the iOS and Android apps, web, and X that watched your broadcast live.
  • Replay viewers: The total number of viewers that have watched your broadcast as a replay.
  • Time watched: The total amount of time that all viewers watched your broadcast. For example, if you had 5 people that watched your broadcast for 5 minutes, your time watched would be 25 minutes.
  • Duration: The total length of your broadcast.

How do I switch between cameras?

To switch between your rear-facing and front-facing camera, double tap the screen.

You can also swipe down to switch the camera by tapping the camera icon.

What is Sketch?

The Sketch feature is a fun and useful tool you can use to draw on broadcasts in real-time on iOS. It allows you to highlight what's going on around you in a live broadcast. Here's how:

  1. Start a broadcast and press down on the screen for a couple seconds to reveal the advanced control panel. Tap the sketch icon to begin drawing on your video.
  2. Choose from the default color options (red, green, and blue) displayed on the bottom of your screen. You can also use the eyedropper tool to select a color from any image on your screen.
  3. You can vary the width of your lines by pressing harder or lighter on the screen.
  4. Sketches only remain on the screen for a few seconds before fading.

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