Report: Google to take on Periscope with YouTube Connect

Google is reportedly building a live-streaming app called YouTube Connect to take on rivals like Twitter’s Periscope service and Facebook Live.

According to a VentureBeat report, YouTube Connect will be available on iOS and Android devices, allowing users to stream video direct from their smartphone or tablet.

Videos will be available to watch in the app or via the YouTube site, with users able to save broadcasts once they are over, according to the report. The app will also reportedly include chat and tagging features, while a news feed will surface the latest videos.

The news comes in the same month that live streaming video app Meerkat is working on a new product, citing competition from Periscope and Facebook and admitting that mobile broadcast video “hasn’t quite exploded as quickly as we’d hoped.”

YouTube first started opening up live streaming options to any channel that has more than 1,000 subscribers back in 2013, but has not previously launched a dedicated live-streaming mobile app.

Last year, YouTube added 60fps live streaming, a few months after rolling out support for higher frame rate video playback on its site.

Separately, a GlobalWebIndex report claimed this week that 41% of Periscope’s users are aged 16-24 and 75% of them are under 35.