Rounds Announces Rounds Live, Revolutionizing Video Chat and Web Surfing by Turning Any URL Into a Live Viewing Party
Tel Aviv, Israel (PRWEB) March 05, 2014 -- Rounds announced today its new product, Rounds Live, a transparent communication layer that adds video chat functionality on top of any online content. The Rounds Live first-of-its-kind experience adds “video bubbles” to any page and allows users to connect and interact with their friends while enjoying the underlying content together.
With Rounds Live, users can create movie watching parties on Netflix, participate in live concert events on YouTube, play multi-user games while actually seeing their opponents, debate on blog posts, and cheer their team with other fans on sports events.
Rounds Live is a completely scalable platform, allowing millions of people to enjoy the same content at the same time through a “rooms” concept. With just one click, Rounds patent-pending technology instantly turns any URL into a live viewing party that can potentially host an infinite number of rooms, each room holding up to 15 people. Rounds Live allows people to get together in private rooms with their friends or join public rooms with other fans - no matter where they are.
With over 10 million users worldwide, and having supported tens of millions of video chat sessions across its Facebook and mobile apps, as well as its recent strategic announcement with video conferencing pioneer Vidyo, Rounds is perfectly positioned to lead this new way of experiencing life together – whether it be for intimate private parties or large scale events.
Rounds provides users with HD, enterprise-level video quality based off of Vidyo’s Scalable Video Coding (SVC), as well as text messaging and other engaging features, all of which will also work on full screen mode.
In late 2013, Rounds completed a successful pilot integration of Rounds Live with Reshet, Israel’s leading broadcaster for "The X-Factor Israel," that won best show for 2013. This joint collaboration successfully tested the platform's engagement and stickiness. The pilot was extremely successful, with users spending on average over 50 minutes interacting with five friends per room.
Rounds is in discussions with numerous content partners, including leading broadcasters, musicians, sports teams and reality shows, to help them extend the narrative of their content – before, during and after it goes live, engage users in a fun, innovatively live way, and give users an incentive to invite their friends, spread virality and create buzz.
“Rounds Live represents a new paradigm in both web surfing and video chatting, changing them from two separate activities into a unified, dynamic experience that lets you connect and share life with friends,” said Dany Fishel, CEO and Co-Founder of Rounds. “Additionally, Rounds Live complements Rounds Mobile, our mobile communications and entertainment platform, and allows us to take the next step in bringing people closer together, helping them connect with one another, as well as around content, in a real and meaningful way.”
Initially, Rounds Live will launch as a web based browser extension which will be offered to consumers within the upcoming months. To be the first to try it, request to join Rounds beta by signing up here: http://www.rounds.com/live.
To see the capabilities of Rounds Live, watch this demo video: https://vimeo.com/75379743.
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About Rounds:
Rounds is a live social platform that combines live communication and social activities; allowing friends to experience life together. Using Rounds, friends can get together and send text messages, watch videos, play games, share photos and much more all while video chatting across networks, operating systems and devices. Rounds recently joined forces with video conferencing pioneer Vidyo, to offer multi-party enterprise HD video quality, as a cross-platform solution, to the social consumer space. Rounds has raised a total of $10.5 million in funding from industry leading investors, including Rhodium, Verizon Ventures, DFJ’s Tim Draper, and other private investors.
Natasha Shine-Zirkel, Rounds, http://www.rounds.com, +972 3 687 8752, [email protected]
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