Twitter Teams Up With Church To Broadcast Live Services On Periscope App

Twitter has teamed up with the Church of England to broadcast church services live on Periscope.

ChurchLive will offer a range of services to a global audience for free using Twitter’s livesteaming app.

Rev Arun Arora, Director of Communications for the Archbishops’ Council said: “This is a project designed to bring Church of England services from Malton to Miami, Middlesbrough to Milan and Manchester to Mumbai.

“Those who may not make it to church on a Sunday for all sorts of reasons will have the opportunity to be part of a service. The ability to join in worship shouldn’t be restricted to geographical constraint.

“We know that Periscope users are a global audience and we expect that there will be as many watching services broadcast via Periscope as are physically present at the services themselves.”

The initiative was first tested earlier in the year at village church St Radegund’s in Grayingham, Lincolnshire. The parishioners were the first to share their service with another 350 people around the world, via Periscope.

Julia White from Twitter UK, said: "Periscope gives people and communities the opportunity to live broadcast everything from on-the-spot breaking news through to individual reflections. It’s great to see the Church of England taking the best of what they have to offer and using Periscope to show it live across the world.”

The partnership is Twitter’s latest foray into religion-based social media with Pope Francis - a prolific tweeter on @Pontifex - recently being given his own twitter emoji for his recent U.S. visit.

Image credit: Twitter/@ChurchLive