Centric, a new video discovery and broadcasting app integrating local content from various social media platforms into a single video stream, announced its launch last week.
The app allows users to discover random content nearby from platforms like Twitter, Periscope, YouTube and Instagram — publicly or privately, as determined by the user — providing an opportunity to explore media by location rather than social network or algorithms.
"We’re confident that our users will enjoy the surprising and interesting things they find around them which, in an algorithm and follower-based stream, would never be seen,” founder CEO Vincent Gibson said in a statement. "It’s like being handed a new map to your neighborhood that has all sorts of stuff you didn’t know existed before!”
'Voyeurism without tears,’ they call it.
Unlike Snapchat, which only boasts native content, and far from bygone Chatroulette, Centric creates a uniquely local feed that helps users discover new content based on their location (up to 22 miles in radius). Want to know what’s going on right now all around New York City? How everyone else is enjoying the Yankee game? Whether or not Kanye’s tweet announcing a surprise viewing of ‘Famous’ eight blocks from your apartment tonight is actually legitimate?
Over time, users can connect with, follow and friend their favorite accounts to curate more personalized streams — all the while remaining anonymous, if the user so chooses.
On the other side of the camera, Centric expands the reach of user-uploaded content by making it available to anyone in the neighborhood to randomly stream, rather than limiting the potential audience to just followers, thereby benefiting source platforms and creators, in addition to consumers. Users can even sell their uploaded videos direct to media or other users. Centric hopes to integrate even more platforms as it grows its user base.
“Everyone loves being the first to discover new and exciting content and to know if something interesting is going on nearby,” Centric angel investor Marcos Pagani said in a statement. "Centric offers the confidence that they won’t miss a thing.”
Have a news tip for us or know of a company that deserves coverage? Let us know or tweet us @builtinnewyork.
