Live-streaming video app Meerkat has drawn a lot of attention in the past few weeks for making use of Twitters identity, distribution and communication systems to enable users to broadcast live video of themselves. Now it seems Twitter may be aiming to acquire rival app Periscope to develop its own version of the service.

Talks are in early stages, according to TechCrunch, but given the growing popularity of Meerkat and the extent to which it relies on Twitter, it makes sense that the social network would attempt to develop its own version of the app.

Periscope is currently only in private beta testing, but many users have compared the apps functionality to Meerkats, and a deal with Twitter could see the startup valued at up to $100m (£65m), although other sources say the deal will only be a fraction of that.

Both Periscope and Meerkat enable users to upload live video to the internet and allow others to access the stream, where they can then add comments and communicate with the streamer.

Twitter acquiring the service would build on its reputation as the premier source of real-time content, and its use in bringing events like the Arab Spring and the protests in Ferguson to a wider audience.