Almost famous: The world of live broadcast stars
Print Edition
SHAN Yuewen, wearing doll-like makeup, sits in front of a webcam live broadcast, eating her dinner. Surprisingly perhaps, this rather ordinary peek into her life attracts some 10,000 viewers.
The 20-year-old Shanghai native suspended college studies last year and decided to jump headlong into the entertainment industry. She and four other star-struck women formed a group and began live broadcasts last November, relying on the popularity of interactive online streaming to enhance their public exposure.
Despite criticism that some of the broadcasts border on the lewd and lascivious, young people love them. According to consulting firm iResearch, the number of netizens drawn to China’s interactive streaming websites will rise to 300 million this year. Websites like Douyu TV and YY.com, which have focused on online broadcasts for years, are being joined by streaming video platforms like Youku, Tudou and its new rival Panda.tv.
Interactive broadcast streaming, an offshoot of online gaming, covers a wide variety of content. Games are still the primary category, joined by the likes of talk shows, outdoor camping adventures and cooking shows. Anyone with a webcam and access to the Internet can be a broadcaster and even make money from it.
“In this industry, it’s not rare to earn tens of thousands or even 1 million yuan (US$153,500) a month,” Shan said, declining to disclose her own income.
Popular broadcasters earn money from virtual gifts and base salaries from website platforms.
A broadcaster who receives a virtual gift, called a “rocket,” typically has to share half of it with the video-streaming platform.
Platforms sign contracts with popular broadcasters, with say more than 10,000 subscribers. Contracts typically require a broadcaster to be “on air” at least two hours a day. Often, base salaries of between 4,000 yuan and 100,000 yuan are paid to keep popular broadcasters with a platform.
Some broadcasters hire agencies to act as their managers, arranging deals with websites and sometimes offline advertisers. The agencies also provide training for their clients in how to act in front of the camera.
Not surprisingly perhaps, most of the popular broadcasters in the newly emerging trend are young women. Some rely on sexual innuendo to attract online followers and enhance their profile.
Walking the line
In one broadcast on Panda.tv, a woman wearing a low-cut top said she would do a dance when subscriber numbers hit 10,000. When that number was reached, she began dancing but covered her cleavage with her hands lest the broadcast be blocked by censors. Some netizens responded by threatening to leave the broadcast if she didn’t reveal all.
“Who will watch these broadcasts if everything is covered up?” said a 25-year-old local viewer who gave his name only as Wang. “I watch these broadcasts to kill time. But I wouldn’t do that if I had a girlfriend in real life.”
As with many other viewers, Wang admitted that he dreams of one of the hostesses becoming his girlfriend. He said he has often sent virtual gifts or even Weibo messages to the hostess he particularly liked.
“Every hostess has her own characteristics,” Shan told Shanghai Daily. “Some are sexy. Some sing well. Some are good at games. I would dress up more sexily if I had the body for it.”
Though she claimed her group’s programs don’t contain lewd behavior, she did admit that a bit of tease is necessary to attract viewers. Shan is selective about responding to viewers who try to contact her.
“When overtures are filthy, I simply ignore them,” she said.
The webcasts often feature Korean women because such streaming programs are popular and well-developed in South Korea, and the broadcasters there have a high level of professionalism in attracting viewers.
Most broadcast websites have censors following their content to ensure that rules on pornography and violence aren’t breached.
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