Vine Co-Creators Announce Hype, A New Live Streaming App That Does A Lot More

Colin Kroll and Rus Yusupov, the co-creators of Vine, just launched a new live streaming app called Hype. The new app is now available for iOS devices, and it enables people to customize their live stream with photos, videos and music.

Unlike live streaming from Facebook or Periscope, Hype focuses on letting users broadcast in a more unique fashion rather than simply showing raw, live footage. Live streams are user customizable, such that users can even add a different layout to better fit what’s being shown live.

For example, a host could add a background image to a live stream, then he or she could keep adding other elements like music from their iTunes library, animated GIFs, texts and emojis. The user also has the freedom to resize the video stream and any additional media he or she adds on-screen.

“We think there’s a better experience to be had, one that uses the phone’s capabilities to full effect and blends the creator’s own media into their live videos,” the Hype team said in its Medium blog post.

Hype is also a lot more interactive than its rivals. Audiences will be able to cast votes, ask or answer questions directly and even have their comments be featured right on a live broadcast. “People demand and want more immersive experiences,” Yusupov told BuzzFeed. “As developers, we felt the impulse to start experimenting with these tools and develop new tools that serve people and help them express themselves.”

The Hype app feels more like a platform for intricate productions, rather than a spur of the moment live stream. Hype’s test users have also created a variety of news and talk shows showing the broad possibilities of what people can do with the app’s extra features.

Currently, the app is only available for iOS devices, but the company says that it’s coming to Android soon, according to 9To5Mac. The app arrived just a week after Twitter announced that it will be shutting down Vine in the coming months.