The meteoric rise in popularity of mobile video streaming app Meerkat has already resulted in the creation of a companion app called Katch that saves your streams to YouTube.
Most Meerkat users are aware that the app offers an option to save their video streams on their mobile devices, but Katch allows you to simplify the process of preserving your memories while passing off the storage and distribution concerns to YouTube’s servers.
By adding “#Katch” to your Meerkat video stream description, you’ll immediately alert Katch, which will then save your video, upload it to YouTube and then send you the link via your Meerkat comments. Calling itself “the record button for Meerkat,” the service apparently includes long form videos as well, with some Meerkat videos running up to 50 minutes long on the Katch YouTube account.
So far, the Meerkat videos being uploaded to the Katch YouTube account are unlisted, so it’s unlikely you’ll stumble across any during a random search on the video site. But it will be interesting to see how this plays out with regards to privacy and unforeseen incidents, for example, if an accident occurs during the stream and the user wants the YouTube upload deleted. (Katch did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding this potential issue.)
Another issue is the fact that Katch removes the ephemeral nature of Meerkat videos by automatically archiving them, thus reducing the need for viewers to tune into a stream as it’s happening. It’s clever, but it’s a kind of virality killer when trying to snag real-time attention.
Of course, the appearance of this app, along with Meerkat, has happened so quickly that the rules and parameters around all these services are likely in day-to-day flux.
Nevertheless, with this new addition to Meerkat, it’s likely the service — despite Twitter’s competing Periscope tool – will be more than just a fleeting star within the upstart app ecosystem.
Via: mashable.com
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