Twitter’s added new playback speed controls for videos in the app, another step in its video development roadmap which looks set to become an even bigger focus under incoming CEO Linda Yaccarino.
Twitter’s already added longer video uploads for Blue subscribers, along with enhanced playback quality options. Now it’s also added playback speed controls, to give users more control over how they manage their in-app video experience.
![Twitter video playback speed](https://valideapp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Twitter-Adds-New-Video-Playback-Speed-Controls-Flags-Coming-Video.png)
As you can see in this example, posted by Musk’s friend and (seeming) advisor Jason Calacanis, you now have a range of playback speed options to choose from via the video player in app.
With longer videos, that’s more important, especially with discussions and other clips that you may want to consume at a faster speed, while slower speed playback could be great for sports content, another element that Twitter’s looking to hone in on with its new video push.
Twitter chief Elon Musk has also flagged some new, incoming video features, which could be on the way in the next few weeks, including:
- Picture-in-picture playback support, so you can keep watching as you scroll through your feed
- Automated transcripts of video content
- Dedicated video tab on user profiles
- Video download options
Of course, we don’t know for sure that all of these will be coming as soon, as Musk might hope at this stage. But Twitter is pushing out updates at its fastest rate by far, and with video set to be its next focus element, we could indeed see all of these updates before the month is out.
As we reported late last week, NBCUniversal’s current head of advertising Linda Yaccarino will be coming on as the new CEO of Twitter next month. Video is Yaccarino’s key area of expertise, having built relationships with ad partners for NBC, while also playing a key role in establishing its ad-supported streaming service Peacock.
Elon Musk has also repeatedly stated that his vision for Twitter isn’t as a social media platform, as such, but that he sees Twitter as more of a competitor for traditional news outlets, with the platform vying to become ‘the most accurate source of information’ about world events. And when you also combine that with Musk’s previous statements about the platform potentially becoming a competitor for YouTube as well, it does seem like video is now firming as the next big area of development for the app.
Along that line, the incoming show from Tucker Carlson could potentially be the first of many key programming announcements coming from Twitter HQ, as it looks to build out its video content roster, and make it a bigger element in the UI. The surge in short-form video content is a clear indicator that this is what most app users are interested in, and if Twitter can put together a slate of popular, exclusive programming, that could be its best chance of winning back advertisers, while also sticking to Musk’s trust in speech focus.
With this in mind, it makes sense for Twitter to be building out its video options, which could indeed see these new updates coming very soon to your Twitter app.
Will that make it a bigger consideration for advertisers, and bring more creators to the app? Twitter’s previous pushes on this front haven’t worked, but maybe, with Yaccarino bringing her experience to the app, a new video era is about to dawn in tweets.