Groopview was born around three years ago, when one of the founders was inspired by his nieces watching TV and chatting online to friends at the same time.
From that original ‘a-ha moment’, the company created a collaborative social viewing platform that brings people together - even when apart. Users can chat, watch and react to TV in real-time, almost as though they’re sitting side-by-side on the sofa. Using an incredible fusion of social media and TV viewing, the app is more popular than ever since the global pandemic, as families, friends and communities have gone online to stay in touch.
The challenge
To bring their innovative idea to life, the Groopview founders had to overcome some initial challenges. Video content is sensitive to any latency and lag, needing high bandwidth to work. Any buffering and delays to the streamed video content, and resulting community “chat”, within the Groopview app would seriously erode the customer experience. The app had to work for the end user, wherever and whenever they wanted to connect with friends to enjoy shared viewing experiences.
The solution
With Vodafone Business’s Distributed Edge Computing powered by AWS Wavelength, Groopview is overcoming these challenges. This ground-breaking technology is helping them to:
Deliver video to users’ devices in an instant, thanks to the lightning speeds of Vodafone’s 5G network. Until 5G is fully rolled out, some app users will use the 4G network – but Groopview has addressed this difference in the software, so the same frame is delivered in sync.
Add another source of acceleration – Vodafone Business’s Edge Computing. This allows video to be delivered to the end-user device from the network edge, bypassing any internet holdups. So, social engagement and reactions all take place in real time, bringing the communal experience to life.
The benefits
Distributed Edge gives Groopview the combined technologies it needs to enrich and socialise viewing experiences and bring those that are far apart closer together.
Groopview’s business model enables companies to get more eyes on their content and increases engagement by providing an exceptional user experience. Football fans may not be able to watch their team on the same screen but they can cheer in harmony when they score.
This technology enriches people's lives, helping them communicate and connect in meaningful ways that weren’t possible earlier. Vodafone Business and AWS have a global footprint, which means we can scale our platform with them, bringing people together as if they really are watching in the same room – and we are only limited by our imagination.
