Social media giant Twitter is shutting down Vine, its short-form video app, as well as cutting nine per cent of its staff.
In a statement, Vine confirmed that it will be discontinuing the mobile app in the coming months, but added that users will still be able to access and download their videos until then.
The statement noted, “We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made.
“You will be notified before we make any changes to the app or website.”
The news came as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced that the company would “reduce the size of our organisation by nine per cent, mostly concentrated in sales, partnerships, and marketing.”
Twitter has switched its video focus from Vine to live streaming – both through upgrades to its Periscope service and via premium sports deals.
The company noted that it has signed over a dozen live streaming video partnerships in the last quarter, and has seen consistent live NFL audience grow, with the most recent three games reaching more than three million viewers – up more than 28 per cent from Twitter’s inaugural game.
