Circa Launches Eagerly-Awaited Advanced Website Designed For Enhanced Mobile Video And New-Generation News Consumers

BALTIMORE, July 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The anticipated launch of Circa.com has arrived!  Circa LLC, an independent digital venture backed by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. SBGI, launched its ground-breaking website today, offering video-rich news and entertainment for new-generation consumers demanding video-first, personalized content, tailored for their mobile devices.

"Circa is a back-to-the-future offering for the independent-minded readers and viewers who just want the facts so they can make up their own minds," Chief Content Officer John Solomon said. "We deliver impactful scoops in a new-fashioned way for those who crave exclusive video content on their mobile devices."

Circa is powered by special technology called 'atomization' that transforms every mobile screen into a unique self-discovery opportunity.  Read the same documents reporters used to build the story, watch video out-takes of an interview, test your knowledge of complex issues, donate to charitable causes, and drive a 360-degree news experience at Circa 360.  Each atom seamlessly integrates and embeds video, polls, quizzes, documents, and 360 experiences.

"Every atom is a story within a story; a place to dive deeper into the topics you care about, to interact with other like-minded consumers and to socialize your favorite news, entertainment and humor content," Solomon said.  "We're making sure that the end of a video or story is only the beginning of the news and entertainment experience."

Circa will be offering a wide variety of exclusive content online and in social media, including breaking news, animated news shorts, daily humor skits, in-depth interviews and short and long-form documentaries. Among the features that debuted Monday:

• 60 Seconds, a special twice daily fast-paced newscast of top headlines, optimized for mobile viewing and social sharing, and including heavy text-on-screen prompts to assist in silent viewing at work stations, aboard subways and inside libraries.
• The Great American Pop Report, a fast-moving summary of the top developments each day on the pop culture and social scenes.
• Circa Now, a portal where all the breaking and top stories of the day are aggregated and quickly updated with developments. Atomization allows Circa reporters to quickly update breaking news in incremental fashion with new atoms atop a running story.
• Circa Documentaries, such as "Seized," which captured the Best Short Documentary award at the 2016 Anthem Film Festival in Las Vegas, exploring the growing police practice of seizing cash from Americans who committed no crimes.
• Circa Moments, Exclusive daily news segments that air on all 173 newscasts across Sinclair's TV platform, reaching approximately 43 million households each day.

And more excitement to come… The website launch is just the first in more spectacular Circa features to come!  Circa plans to announce several major partnerships later this summer that include a humor entertainment troupe with a major Hollywood studio, a unique celebrity interview series with a key player in the charity entertainment space, and the first-ever regular newscast shot entirely in a 360 environment! 

Coming this fall is the Circa App for iOS and Android devices that will extend Circa's functionality in the mobile environment, including user personalization of their news, entertainment and humor experiences by "following" specific stories or topics through use of a 'follow feature' that auto-alerts when new content is issued.

And if that isn't enough, Circa is powered by an award-winning team of 70 journalists and entertainers working to re-invent the way news and entertainment are delivered.  From its headquarters in Washington D.C., and bureaus in Los Angeles, New York City, Austin, West Palm Beach, and Seattle, the Circa team is gathering, reporting, and focusing on unique and trending stories for the independent-minded reader and viewer.

Even before its official launch, Circa created several high-profile splashes on a temporary Website this spring, including the last-known interview with singer Christina Grimmie before her tragic death and a high-impact story revealing that the FBI had not alerted scores of Americans that they were on ISIS kill lists.

"Circa is part of a broader effort to launch a new era of video news and entertainment in which consumers can move seamlessly from big-screen TVs to over-the-top and mobile platforms, while getting the same high-quality content but with personalization and customization," commented Rob Weisbord, COO of Sinclair's Digital Group.

"Our goal is to take you along for the story.  Experience it first hand with no spin; just facts and transparency so you can make up your own mind; consume it wherever and whenever you want; and stay informed about the stories that matter most to you," commented Scott Livingston, VP of News at Sinclair. "We want to empower you with the best possible information and entertainment to use from the dinner table to the water cooler, the assembly line to the board room."

Circa was established last fall as an independent company funded by Sinclair Digital Ventures, a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 173 television stations in 81 markets, broadcasting 484 channels and having affiliations with all the major networks. Sinclair is the leading local news provider in the country, as well as a producer of live sports content. Sinclair's content is delivered via multiple-platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.

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SOURCE Circa LLC