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Scener offers a social viewing platform that enables synchronized group watching of streaming content. The service integrates perfect video playback sync with real-time communication features, including video, audio, and text chat. It supports private "rooms" for up to ten participants to interact fully, alongside larger public "theaters" for hosts to share content with an audience via text chat, spanning various major streaming services and devices.
Founded in 2018 by Rob Glaser, Daniel Strickland, and Joe Braidwood, Scener emerged from the observation that the communal aspect of media consumption was largely absent from modern streaming. Glaser, notably the founder of RealNetworks, brought substantial experience in digital media to the venture. The founders were inspired by the desire to combine the shared social experience of watching content with others, reminiscent of traditional viewing or interactive platforms like Twitch.
The platform caters to individuals and communities who aim to enrich their streaming activities through shared social interaction. It allows friends to connect and watch together remotely, while also empowering content creators and hosts to facilitate public watch parties and engage with their audiences. Scener’s vision centers on recreating and evolving the collective experience of entertainment in the digital age, fostering connection through shared viewing.
Scener has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Scener has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Scener is a social streaming platform that enables synchronized co-watching of TV shows and movies from major services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max, and YouTube, with integrated video and text chat for real-time interaction.[1][2][3][6] It serves consumers craving social connection during solitary streaming, including friends, fans, influencers, actors, and filmmakers hosting private or public watch parties that scale from small groups to up to one million viewers.[1][2][3] By adding a seamless, service-agnostic "social layer" via a free Google Chrome extension, Scener solves the isolation of one-way streaming, protecting copyrights while aggregating content into a single interface.[1][3] Through 2021, it logged millions of unique users, over a billion minutes of social viewing, and 7 million events, powered by low-latency tech from Agora.io.[1][2]
Scener launched in 2018 after being incubated by RealNetworks Inc., pioneering live video chat over synchronized streaming content as one of the earliest co-watching innovators.[1][5] Co-founder and COO Joe Braidwood highlighted its growth, noting a tenfold increase after adopting Agora's real-time engagement tech for global scalability and low latency.[2] In 2021, it strengthened leadership with David Baron as CEO to accelerate growth amid streaming's social inflection point, headquartered in Los Angeles with a Seattle office.[1][6] Early traction included raising $2.1 million to fuel product development, events like the "Stream & Scream" horror festival, and community building for nightly collective viewing.[3][5]
Scener rides the shift from solitary streaming to interactive, social entertainment, capitalizing on post-pandemic demand for virtual togetherness amid cord-cutting and content fragmentation.[1][2][3] Its timing aligns with streaming's "dramatic inflection point," where consumers seek simplicity, portability across devices, and social features without proprietary lock-in.[1] Market forces like global scalability needs and real-time tech advancements (e.g., Agora integration) favor its cloud-based model, influencing the ecosystem by enabling creators to engage audiences directly and setting standards for hybrid social viewing.[2][3] As a category leader, it expands streaming's two-way potential, blending consumption with community in a $100B+ market.[1][2]
Scener is poised to evolve into a nightly destination for collective entertainment, supercharging events, host communities, and cross-platform discovery amid rising interactive media trends.[3] Advancements in AI-driven personalization, AR/VR integration, and 5G could amplify its low-latency sync for immersive global parties, while partnerships with more streamers address competition from built-in features.[1][2] Its influence may grow by defining social streaming standards, potentially through monetization via premium events or ads, solidifying its lead in connecting isolated viewers.[1][3] This positions Scener as the essential social layer for streaming's next era.
Scener has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in September 2020.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2020 | $2M Seed | SeaChange Fund | Andreessen Horowitz, LAUNCH, Obscura, ROB Glaser, Sean RAD, David G. Martin, Sriram Krishnan, Glaser Investments, LAUNCH, Rifftrax, Syndicate | Announced |
Scener has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Scener's investors include SeaChange Fund, Andreessen Horowitz, LAUNCH, Obscura, Rob Glaser, Sean Rad, David G. Martin, Sriram Krishnan, Syndicate.
