For a service originally based on 140 characters, Twitter's sure embracing video lately.

In the newest twist, Twitter is bumping live streams to the top of your timeline.

Tweet all about it

Announced in a tweet, the update means when an account you follow is live broadcasting, this feed will appear at the top of your timeline. The update also supports audio-only live broadcasts. 

Twitter reckons this will help users "catch breaking news, your favourite personalities, and can't-miss sports moments".

Movie moments

The feature makes sense of Twitter, which has sunk a lot of gold into live streaming deals with sports partners including the NFL and NASCAR. It also faces increasing competition in the space from Facebook.

By promoting live streams, Twitter could ensure by eyeballs (and advertising dollars) find this more lucrative content.

Of course, not all of us want to be bombarded with video every time we fire up Twitter. At this stage there's no way to disable the feature, however you can dismiss individual broadcasts, and accounts you mute will not appear. 

The update is now available on iOS and Android.