Twitter to drop Periscope mobile app for live streams

Twitter has announced it would shut down its Periscope mobile app for live streaming video by March.

The microblogging site on Tuesday cited its declining use and the cost of maintaining as the prime reasons.

Twitter bought Periscope in 2015 before it launched and as the popularity of now defunct Meerkat signalled keen interest in people broadcasting video from smartphones.

"We have made the difficult decision to discontinue Periscope as a separate mobile app," the team said in a blog post.

"Over the past couple of years, we've seen declining usage and know that the cost to support the app will only continue to go up over time."

Periscope features have been woven into Twitter over time, the team noted.

Twitter launched its Periscope some five years ago as a live-streaming video spread in the smartphone world.

"The capabilities and ethos of the Periscope team and infrastructure already permeate Twitter," the team said.

"We're confident that live video still has the potential of seeing an even wider audience within the Twitter product."

Users have been told they will be able to download archives of broadcasts before March -- when it's officially removed from app stores.