Pinterest launches new livestreaming app for video creators

Pinterest has launched a live streaming app on its platform for short-content video creators. The launch happened quietly without any fanfare.

The new app was launched with the aim to make it easier for video creators to Livestream on the Pinterest platform. Its target customers are people who make and post videos on social media platforms. Named the new Pinterest TV Studio app for iOS and Android, the app will enable select creators to go live on Pinterest by using various devices and also enable different camera angles.

However, there has been no formal announcement of the app so far, probably because it is not yet available to all video creators. Creators must enter a code or scan a barcode that Pinterest provides to gain access to the live streaming tools on the app. There is likely to be an announcement when it is released unilaterally.

Pinterest’s live streaming studio app is an indicator of how social media platforms are adopting a ‘video-first focus’ and rethinking the broader social media landscape. TikTok’s popularity has perhaps made them so. Major social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube have a TikTok-like short video feature available, and most offer features for creating live video content.

Pinterest, meanwhile, has been working on its own video efforts with the launch of Idea Pins, a sort of video-first mashup of both TikTok-style short-form video content and tappable stories. “We’re announcing Pinterest TV, a series of live, original, and shoppable episodes featuring creators. Pinterest TV episodes are refreshed each weekday and will be recorded and available for Pinners to view on-demand and save and rewatch later,” Pinterest said in a statement.

The new series of shopping-focused live streams will give Pinners the opportunity to take up exclusive deals in the app, through engaging, immediate live-stream broadcasts.