A startup called Skylight is taking a different approach to short-form video. Instead of restricting users to an algorithmic main feed, as is common on social apps, Skylight is building a community around human curators who post and repost videos to build out their own custom feeds others can subscribe to.
The option, which launched on Monday in the version 2.0 release of the app, could appeal to users who feel a growing sense of unease about traditional social media platforms and their algorithmic manipulations, as well as those annoyed by the increase of low-quality AI-generated content that’s now filling those feeds.
Built on Bluesky’s social network and its underlying AT Protocol, Skylight first launched in April to offer an open alternative to video apps like TikTok. Since then, the app has seen roughly 240,000 downloads and 100,000 videos uploaded to its platform. Skylight also received early funding from Mark Cuban and others.
Like others in this space, Skylight’s ability to authenticate users with their Bluesky credentials gives it a head start on building its own user base. Today, Bluesky is used by over 38.4 million users, who can install, run, and log into an ecosystem of open social apps like Skylight and others built for videos, photos, blogs, wikis, and more.
With Skylight’s 2.0 launch, the company is focusing on improved curation. Users can now create their own “curator” feed by posting and reposting videos or by using third-party tools to build their own custom feed.
Soon, the company will integrate technology from the custom feed-building platform Graze to allow Skylight users to create those custom feeds inside its own app, as well.
To access the curated feeds, you simply swipe left from the main page to browse through the other selections. If you find a curator you want to follow, you tap the plus (+) button to add them to your set of feeds. Those curators you already follow will be included in this experience.
The update includes other integrations with services built for the open social web, as well. Skylight is partnering with the livestreaming platform Streamplace, another service built on the same AT Protocol that Bluesky and Skylight uses. By leveraging Streamplace’s technology, Skylight was able to add a livestreaming feature to its app without having to build out the functionality itself.
Plus, Skylight’s app now offers a redesigned player with a full-screen mode and allows users to watch videos in a split-screen window while continuing to browse profiles or search for other content.
Built by a team of two, co-founders Tori White (CEO) and Reed Harmeyer (CTO), Skylight generates much of its buzz via TikTok, where White’s account, where she shares updates on the app’s progress, now has over 63,000 followers.
Those videos can help spike app installs, at times. Over the past week alone, White tells TechCrunch that Skylight pulled in another 20,000 downloads, for instance, even before the new version arrived. In part, she believes this is due to consumer interest in leaving established social platforms to join open source social communities.
Skylight is a free download on iOS and Android and has a roadmap that includes support for other features like music, bookmarks, an account switcher, and more.
