Meerkat

Forgotten Apps · 2015

Published

Meerkat launched in February 2015 with a wonderfully direct promise: tap once and broadcast live video through Twitter. Every stream was automatically shared with the user’s followers, turning an existing audience into an instant crowd for whatever was happening in front of the camera.

Why It Mattered

For a brief moment, Meerkat made mobile livestreaming feel like the next great social habit. Its rapid rise also exposed how vulnerable a new service could be when its discovery and distribution depended heavily on another platform.

Broadcast flow

- A new user could sign up and start a live stream in two taps. - After setup, starting another live stream took one tap.

Twitter coupling

- Every Meerkat stream was automatically tweeted. - Comments, re-streams and likes were designed around Twitter replies, retweets and favourites.

Rapid pivot

- Meerkat launched in February 2015. - Greylock publicly documented its investment in the live-video company in March 2015. - Rubin says weak broadcaster retention led the team to decide on a pivot four months later.

Associated With

Ben Rubin and a cofounder identified as Itai; corporate name not established in the retained records - associated person

Defining Feature

One-tap mobile livestreams automatically announced through Twitter

Status

Discontinued - The team decided to pivot away from Meerkat four months after launch

Primary Records

- **The Life of the Party — interview with Ben Rubin and Sima Sistani** - **Our investment in Meerkat and the power of spontaneous togetherness**

Image Sources

- All one image sources are not yet verified — editorial review required.

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference. Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Yellow Meerkat promotional graphic with its illustrated mascot and two smartphone screens showing a leaderboard and a fashion live stream.
Source
Credit

Meerkat promotional interface imagery; reproduced by Fast Company

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Meerkat's promotional screens explain live broadcasting through a phone and a social account, recalling the brief race to make mobile livestreaming a mainstream habit.