SEAN PARKER & SHAWN FANNING UNVEIL AIRTIME

 Airtime, the new, live social video network created by  internet icons and entrepreneurs, Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning, was unveiled today at a special  launch event in New York City.

Airtime is the most efficient, easy to use, browser-based video chat  service between friends via their existing Facebook networks. The service allows users to share live  experiences through content, and expand beyond their social graph to discover new people through similar interests in an environment that is collaborative, fun and safe.

Airtime is now available for users at  Airtime.com. No download is required. Users simply need a Facebook login and a webcam to use the  service.

At this morning’s launch, Jimmy Fallon introduced Parker and Fanning at Milk Studios in front of an  audience of press and other notables. Celebrities including Jim Carrey, Ed Helms, Alicia Keys, Julia  Louis-Dreyfus, Joel McHale, Olivia Munn and Snoop Dogg helped demonstrate the features of Airtime.

As two of the Internet’s biggest disruptors and entrepreneurs, Parker and Fanning have collectively built  some of the most influential and debated companies of the digital age including: Napster, Facebook, Causes, Spotify, Path, and now, Airtime.  

Having met online in a chat room 15 years ago over a shared  interest in computer security and hacking, Parker and Fanning created Airtime to explore what’s possible  when large numbers of people are brought together live, connecting through common interests and shared content.

“There’s something exciting about bringing spontaneity to the Internet,” said Parker. “All of your  interactions online are constrained by the people you already know. That wasn’t always the case. 

If it weren’t for the internet, Fanning and I would have never become friends. As we move from a social graph to an interest graph, there are great possibilities for our world.  That’s what we’re trying to tap into with Airtime.”

“We look at Airtime as if it were a smart and engaging host,” said Fanning. “Airtime is a service that does  everything it can to help you find the people that you should know, and then guide your conversations further. These are connections that wouldn’t be possible in the real world. If you look at this from an idealistic standpoint, Airtime is something only technology can facilitate. And it is finally possible with the ubiquity of webcams, broadband connections and a highly developed identity layer. We’ve only scratched the surface with what the Internet can do today.”

In addition to supporting seamless video chat with friends, Airtime connects users based on location and shared Facebook interests. Once connected, you are anonymous until you decide to reveal yourself. You are always in control. By clicking the “Next” button, users can discover new and interesting people on demand. The service also enables shared live experiences. At launch, users will be able to watch YouTube videos together, with more content sharing options coming soon.