Vine creators announce new ‘Hype’ live streaming app, available now for iOS

Last week, Twitter announced that it was shutting down the short video sharing service Vine amid its growing struggle to monetize. Now, the original creators of Vine have announced their next initiative, a live streaming video service called Hype.

It’s no secret that the app industry has recently been flooded with live streaming apps, but Hype (and Vine) creators Colin Kroll and Rus Yusupov believe that Hype has more than enough features to set it apart from the likes of Periscope. Essentially, Hype takes the simplicity of Periscope and adds a more feature-rich experience.

The popularity of Periscope is arguably largely due to its simplicity. Hit a button and you’re broadcasting live to the world.  Hype, on the other hand, offers a handful of capabilities.

For one, Hype offers the ability the incorporate other media into your live streams. For instance you can share photos, videos, and GIFs from your camera roll directly to the live stream. Additionally, you can play music from your iTunes library and add text, emoji, and themed backgrounds to the live stream.

Building on the content sharing features, there’s also support for more engagement between hosts and viewers. Audience members can comment directly on the stream, while they can also participate in polls and provide feedback when asked by the host. And, instead of Periscope’s “hearts,” Hype supports the ability to send “sparkles” to a broadcast. The host can also feature their favorite comments on the live stream itself.

Hosts also have more control over how their stream is presented. They can change the size and layout of their image, choose to appear full-screen, tiny, or disappear in favor of other pieces of media.

Now that Periscope is integrated directly into Twitter and Facebook has its on live platform, it will likely be hard for Hype to gain momentum, but not impossible. Hype offers a level of customization that many have called on Periscope to add.

With Vine on the way out, its creators have already found their next initiative. Download it for yourself on the App Store. An Android version is coming soon.

• Stream your story live, in real time, using HYPE’s tools to produce the look, feel, and tone that’s right for your individual broadcast.
• Incorporate photos, videos and GIFs from your camera roll, play music directly from your iTunes library, and add text, emoji or themed backgrounds.
• Get creative with how your broadcast is presented by changing the size and layout of your image. Hosts can choose to appear full-screen, tiny, or disappear completely in order to direct the audience’s attention from their camera’s image to another piece of media.
• Audience members can interact with hosts by asking or answering questions, casting votes, or sharing feedback (solicited or otherwise). They can also express their feelings by tapping on a piece of media on the screen, which sends “sparkles” to the broadcast.
• Hosts can feature their favorite comments directly on their broadcast, making the audience engagement part of the story itself.
• Audience members can share live broadcasts with their friends who can join in to interact in real time, or hosts can save their broadcasts to be re-watched later (though you have to be there live if you want to interact).