Twitter building its own YouTube to compete with YouTube
In the last few months Twitter has been trying to test new video platform. Although still simple, they strife to create something to YouTube. As some users have noticed, the information regarding YouTube competitor being built by Twitter isn’t new, but the current preview of the platform is only available to verified users.
Verified users have small checked icon next to their name, and most of them are usually famous people or internet personalities that have requested from YouTube to be verified to prevent the imposters from creating false account. You can try to visit the platform at https://video.twitter.com/access but it will ask you to request access and as previous said, if you aren’t verified you won’t be able to preview it. If I had to guess, twitter wants to use the technology behind Vine to develop competitor to YouTube, but make the process a lot simple for the ordinary users. There is going to be integration with the tweet itself so you will probably be able to search Video Twitter to add the video that is relevant to the tweet you are posting.
Here are FAQ that are available on the page by appending /faq to the url.
What video formats are supported?
For video upload, we currently support “mp4” and “mov”. Videos should have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and should be encoded using the “High Profile” h.264 video codec and the AAC (Low Complexity) audio codec.
The source video bitrate should be as high as possible. We recommend a video bit rate of at least 5000k bits, and the audio bitrate should be 128k.
Frames per second should be preserved as per the original source material.
Can I specify the thumbnail that is shown to users?
Yes, you can either select a specific frame of the video to be used as the thumbnail, or you can upload your own. Updating the thumbnail can be done by clicking on the “Change” button on the Video Details page.
What image formats are supported for thumbnail upload?
For thumbnail upload, we currently support PNG and JPEG images.
Is there a video size limit?
At this time we do not have a file size limit when uploading. As such, we are encouraging partners to use the highest resolution source video, to create the most optimal user experience. However, keep in mind that the larger the source file, the longer it will take to upload and process.
Is there a video length limit?
Videos uploaded to Twitter can be up to 10 minutes long.
How do I upload a video?
Uploading a video can be done by selecting the “Upload” button on the Dashboard tab of the Video Publisher tool. For more detail, take a look at the training guide in the Help section.
Can I edit the video I’ve upload to video.twitter.com?
No, the Video Publisher tool does not currently have any video editing capabilities.
How do I Tweet a video?
Tweeting a video can be done by selecting the blue compose Tweet button on the Dashboard tab of the Video Publisher tool.
Can I schedule a Tweet?
At this time we do not support the scheduling of Tweets from the Video Publisher Tool. Tweets can either be sent immediately to all followers, or can be hidden from your followers and used as part of a Twitter advertising campaign.
Can I edit the Title and Description that users see in my Tweet?
Yes, the title and description can be edited on the Compose Tweet page. These fields are optional and can be left blank if necessary.
Can I use a YouTube video?
In order to provide the best experience for the user we require that all videos be uploaded and hosted by Twitter. The same video that was uploaded to YouTube can also be uploaded to Twitter, but you cannot reuse the YouTube URL with the Twitter video player.
Can I use my own video player?
The Twitter Video Card and Publisher Tool require the use of the Twitter video player. For users that want to leverage their own video player, we recommend using Player Cards.
Can I include advertising on my video?
At this time, we do not allow non-Amplify partners to include advertising in their videos. If you’re a brand or content producer looking to form a Twitter Amplify partnership, contact us at amp@twitter.com.
What analytics are tracked?
On the Analytics tab of the Video Publisher UI we display the following metrics for each video:
- Video starts
- Video quartile completion rates (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)
- These can be viewed as overall counts or broken down between Promoted vs. Organic traffic.
What platforms is the Video Card support on?
Currently the Twitter Video Card is supported on Twitter.com, Twitter for iOS, and Twitter for Android.
Can I use third party analytics services?
We do not support 3rd party analytics integrations when using the Video Publisher Tool.
Why have I been logged out of video.twitter.com?
The Video Publisher Tool login is tied to your Twitter browser session. If you login to Twitter.com with a different user name on a separate tab, you will be automatically logged out of video.twitter.com if that account does not have access.
Can I delete a video I’ve uploaded?
Yes, you may delete videos from the UI by clicking the X at the top right of the video within your home Dashboard.
Can I take down a video I’ve already Tweeted?
Yes, you can take down a video after it has been Tweeted. This can be done from the UI by clicking the X at the top right of the video within your home Dashboard. If you are deleting an already Tweeted video, we recommend that you also delete the Tweet from Twitter. Otherwise users will receive an error saying that the video cannot be played.
How do I report someone infringing on my copyrighted content?
To report copyright infringement, please fill out the form located here. More information on Twitter’s Copyright and DMCA policy can be found here.
What’s interesting to notice when reading this FAQ is that the Twitter is encouraging users to upload the highest quality videos. Also the limit is 10 minutes but that could be extended depending on the adoption rate of the service. You won’t be able to use already uploaded YouTube videos. Also there is similar Analytics panel for stats. One of the most refreshing thing to be seen is the quality preserving they claim they are going to have in it. It will be wonderful to hear songs without compression like on YouTube and watch videos in native quality.
Article printed at May 3, 2024. Please see https://grindam.com/twitter-building-youtube-compete-youtube/ for the latest version.
