By Barbara Ortutay, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Twitter is now letting its users post videos that are up to 140 seconds long, an increase from its previous 30-second limit.
The move is part of the social media company's efforts to attract a broader set of users, some of whom feel confined by its limits on the length of tweets – as well as videos. It's also likely to help users make money from such videos, and comes at a time when online videos are becoming increasingly widespread and popular, especially on the platforms of rivals such as Facebook.
Videos will also be longer on Vine, Twitter's video-sharing social network. Twitter said that it is starting with a "small group" of Vine creators who will "be able to add a video to their Vine, turning the six second Vine into a trailer for a bigger story."
The San Francisco company also launched an app called Twitter Engage for those it calls "influential creators." It's designed to help them interact with fans.
Finally, Twitter retooled its service and Vine to make browsing for and finding videos easier. Mobile users can now tap a video tweet or a Vine to launch it in full-screen mode. Suggested, similar videos will appear below.
Digital video advertising spending in the U.S. should reach $9.84 billion this year, up from $7.66 billion in 2015, according to research firm eMarketer. As more people watch online videos than TV, advertisers are following suit. By 2020, eMarketer expects digital video ad spending to reach $16.69 billion.
Twitter Inc. currently has about 310 million monthly active users, small potatoes compared with Facebook's 1.65 billion. The professional online network LinkedIn has 433 million members, but many of these users do not log in every month.
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More