New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS): Twitter on Wednesday announced to discontinue its live-streaming service Periscope as a separate mobile app by March 2021.

The company will, however, continue to offer live video streaming through its integrated Twitter Live feature within the main app.

"The truth is that the Periscope app is in an unsustainable maintenance-mode state, and has been for a while. Over the past couple of years, we've seen declining usage and know that the cost to support the app will only continue to go up over time," the Periscope team said in a statement.

"Leaving it in its current state isn't doing right by the current and former Periscope community or by Twitter".

Twitter bought Periscope in March 2015 before the product had been publicly launched. The Periscope app for Android and iOS was developed by Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein.

Sources then said the acquisition amount was "sizeable", above $50 million. Some said it fell between $75 and $100 million.

Twitter said that it plans to remove Periscope from the app stores by March 2021 and no one will be able to create a new account in-app starting with the next release.

"Broadcasts that were shared to Twitter will live on as replays, and all broadcasters will be able to download an archive of their Periscope broadcasts and data before the app is removed in March 2021," the micro-blogging platform said.

According to Twitter, the company has moved "most of the core capabilities of Periscope" into Twitter Live.

In June 2018, a Turkish court banned Periscope for violating the copyright of the Turkish company called Periskop. Periscope had been actively used by the Turkish opposition until an initial ban was put in place in April 2017, weeks before a constitutional referendum to expand presidential powers.