Twitter revealed Tuesday that Vines, GIFs and videos created using the social network's recently launched video sharing tool will by default play automatically on users timelines.
The feature has been released on Twitter's website and the iOS mobile app, and it will be available for Android in the future, according to Mashable.
The media will auto-play without sound until the user enables the audio with a click. Users also have the option to deactivate the auto-play feature from the settings tab or save data by telling videos to autoplay only when there is Wi-Fi connectivity. Following the footsteps of other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, Twitter framed the move as making it "easier" for users to watch videos.
"We have learned just showing a thumbnail with a play button isn't enough to entice consumers" to watch, said Adam Bain, Twitter's president of revenue and partnerships, The Wall Street Journal reported. "Consumers preferred this video viewing experience on Twitter more than any other experience."
During the test-run of its autoplay feature, the company found that users were 2.5 times more likely to prefer auto-play videos as opposed to other viewing options. Furthermore, for brands, promoted videos also garnered more views in comparison with the auto-play feature enabled.
The addition of this feature to Twitter is mainly due to revenue concerns. The social media company reported weak results last quarter attributable to advertisement revenues that failed to meet expectations. The new feature gives Twitter the opportunity to bring in video ad revenues, which are relatively higher than those of traditional display advertisements, according to Buzzfeed.
The auto-play feature has worked wonders for Facebook, which went from generating 1 billion video views daily last year to 4 billion views today.
