https://www.scmp.com/rss/331151/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China’s most popular e-commerce influencer Austin Li Jiaqi was a no-show at a scheduled live-streaming sales session on Sunday, after his programme on Friday was abruptly cut off. Li, who has more than 64 million followers on Taobao Live, the live-streaming platform for merchants on Taobao Marketplace, was scheduled to go live on Sunday evening with deals on travel packages and sun protection products, according to programme previews published on Saturday and Friday, but Li did not show up. Li’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3180503/top-shopping-influencer-li-jiaqi-no-show-scheduled-live-stream-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3180503/top-shopping-influencer-li-jiaqi-no-show-scheduled-live-stream-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jun 2022 13:00:08 +0000 Mayu Iizuka sheds her soft-spoken personality and starts cackling, screaming and waving wildly in a makeshift studio in Tokyo as her avatar appears on a live-stream before hundreds of fans. Virtual YouTubers like Iizuka, who voices and animates a character called Yume Kotobuki, have transformed a niche Japanese subculture into a thriving industry where top accounts can rake in more than a million US dollars a year. The videos are designed to make fans feel they are interacting directly with... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3177029/why-japanese-virtual-youtubers-can-earn-over-us1-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3177029/why-japanese-virtual-youtubers-can-earn-over-us1-million?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 May 2022 20:15:12 +0000 China’s newly published live-streaming regulations are set to put an end to live-streamers’ dreams of tax-free riches, according to legal analysts. Under new rules jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China, State Administration of Tax, and State Administration for Market Regulation, platforms are required to provide twice-yearly reports on their live-streamers, including information such as personal identification, bank account and income details. Under the regulation, which came... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3172614/china-tech-crackdown-no-more-tax-free-riches-live-streaming-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3172614/china-tech-crackdown-no-more-tax-free-riches-live-streaming-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:00:22 +0000 Kuaishou Technology, operator of China’s second-largest short video-sharing platform, hopes to break even this year, but regulatory risks remain high as Beijing released new restrictions on live streaming. On Tuesday, Beijing published new guidelines to “further regulate profit-making practices in live streaming and promote the healthy development of the industry”. Under the new rules, companies will need to report to provincial tax and cyber authorities the basic information of live streamers... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3172413/short-video-giant-kuaishou-expects-break-even-2022-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3172413/short-video-giant-kuaishou-expects-break-even-2022-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Mar 2022 09:30:13 +0000 The online presence of two of China’s top e-commerce influencers vanished after they were fined millions of yuan for tax evasion last month, with their social media accounts, Taobao stores and official company website becoming inaccessible over the past several days. The disappearance of Zhu Chenhui and Lin Shanshan, who built booming live-streaming businesses online with tens of millions of followers, serves as the latest reminder of the risks content producers face in China when amassing huge... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159540/live-streaming-e-commerce-stars-disappear-chinas-internet-following?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3159540/live-streaming-e-commerce-stars-disappear-chinas-internet-following?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Dec 2021 11:00:44 +0000 Live-streaming service Twitch will ban users for offences such as hate-group membership or credible threats of mass violence that occur entirely away from the site in a new approach to moderating the platform. The Amazon-owned platform – which is primarily used for watching people play video games but also pop concerts and even football matches – said under its new rules it would take enforcement actions against offline offences that posed a “substantial safety risk” to its community. It said... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3128912/echoing-its-donald-trump-ban-twitch-punish-users-platform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3128912/echoing-its-donald-trump-ban-twitch-punish-users-platform?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Apr 2021 12:15:13 +0000 From a converted storeroom on the roof of his mother’s Seoul flat, Kim Min-kyo plays video games for up to 15 hours a day – and makes a fortune from the thousands of fans watching him. The cramped studio is an unlikely home for a budding millionaire, but the 24-year-old’s gaming prowess – mixed with quick-witted commentary and high-school humour – has resulted in his income climbing to about US$50,000 a month. That puts him well into the top 1 per cent of earners in South Korea, but has not... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3127108/some-south-korean-live-streamers-coronavirus-pandemic-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3127108/some-south-korean-live-streamers-coronavirus-pandemic-has?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Mar 2021 05:44:36 +0000 Walk through the streets of Shanghai, Seoul, or Tokyo, and you’ll likely find billboards featuring men with delicate facial features, dewy skin, visible makeup, and a youthful, androgynous look. Often, they’re advertising cosmetics or skin care products. In recent years, Asia—and China in particular—has seen a boom in young male brand ambassadors. Pop idols such as Wang Yibo and Liu Haoran have been featured on ads for women’s facial masks and night creams. Li Jiaqi, a fast-talking salesman... https://www.scmp.com/culture/wang-yibo-li-xian-and-li-jiaqi-why-men-are-new-faces-womens-beauty-ads-china/article/3111486?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/wang-yibo-li-xian-and-li-jiaqi-why-men-are-new-faces-womens-beauty-ads-china/article/3111486?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Nov 2020 09:56:58 +0000 Livestreaming finally stepped into the spotlight this year during China’s Singles’ Day, the world’s largest shopping festival that takes place annually on Nov. 11. Consumers have increasingly turned to these live broadcasts to see demonstrations of products after the Covid-19 pandemic limited their ability to shop in person. On one channel during the festival, a knife salesman filmed himself forging cutlery in what looked to be an old blacksmith workshop. On another channel, a young woman... https://www.scmp.com/culture/giant-pancakes-and-men-bunk-beds-quirkiest-singles-day-livestreams/article/3109571?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/giant-pancakes-and-men-bunk-beds-quirkiest-singles-day-livestreams/article/3109571?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Nov 2020 10:30:19 +0000 On Tuesday night, over 150 million people—that’s more than a tenth of China’s population—tuned into the shopping app Taobao Live to watch a man sell lipstick for seven hours. But it wasn’t just lipstick. There was also face cream, clothes, and a giveaway involving Hermes bags and the soon-to-be-released iPhone 12. The event was a promotion for Singles’ Day, which has eclipsed Black Friday as the world’s biggest shopping holiday. What is Singles’ Day?     Held on Nov. 11, Singles’ Day is... https://www.scmp.com/culture/150-million-people-china-watched-man-sell-stuff-7-hours/article/3106678?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/150-million-people-china-watched-man-sell-stuff-7-hours/article/3106678?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Oct 2020 16:00:10 +0000 These men in China gave up their careers in first-tier cities to return to their hometowns. They started businesses, hoping to achieve work-life balance. https://www.scmp.com/china/seeking-better-life-young-people-china-escape-cities-and-return-their-hometowns/article/3095089?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/seeking-better-life-young-people-china-escape-cities-and-return-their-hometowns/article/3095089?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2020 10:48:46 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS On a Monday evening about a month ago, the man who started “China’s most beautiful bookshop” did something he said he had never done before. Speaking in front of a chipped wall and framed black-and-white pictures of acclaimed poets like Bei Dao and Adonis, Qian Xiaohua joined four other independent bookstore owners in a bid to rescue their struggling businesses. Their turnaround plan? A live-streamed bargain sale on Taobao -- the giant shopping site... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3078874/can-live-streaming-help-chinas-bookstores-survive-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3078874/can-live-streaming-help-chinas-bookstores-survive-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2020 21:00:23 +0000 On a Monday evening about a month ago, the man who started “China’s most beautiful bookshop” did something he said he had never done before. Speaking in front of a chipped wall and framed black-and-white pictures of acclaimed poets like Bei Dao and Adonis, Qian Xiaohua joined four other independent bookstore owners in a bid to rescue their struggling businesses. Their turnaround plan? A live-streamed bargain sale on Taobao -- the giant shopping site where rural farmers and urban influencers... https://www.scmp.com/tech/can-live-streaming-help-chinas-bookstores-survive-pandemic/article/3078825?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/can-live-streaming-help-chinas-bookstores-survive-pandemic/article/3078825?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2020 21:00:21 +0000 British actor Nigel Dixon is trying to calm frayed nerves in the central Chinese city of Wuhan with his online social media miniseries Mr Pea. The 53-year-old, who does an impersonation of British sitcom character Mr Bean, traveled to the region at the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic in early January. He refused to leave Wuhan even as it went into lockdown, saying he worried that he could spread the virus and that he wanted to show support to the people in China. https://www.scmp.com/society/mr-bean-impersonator-tries-raise-spirits-coronavirus-hit-wuhan/article/3052234?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/mr-bean-impersonator-tries-raise-spirits-coronavirus-hit-wuhan/article/3052234?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Feb 2020 09:52:20 +0000 As most Chinese people find themselves stuck at home amid the coronavirus outbreak, millions of users of Chinese short-video app Douyin are tuning in to watch a livestream of a man sleeping.   He goes by the username Yuansan and first live-streamed himself sleeping on February 9 -- originally to verify whether he snores. He woke up the next day to discover that his channel had amassed hundreds of thousands of viewers over the course of the five-hour livestream. This prompted the amateur... https://www.scmp.com/culture/man-makes-more-us4000-streaming-himself-sleeping-chinas-tiktok/article/3051069?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/man-makes-more-us4000-streaming-himself-sleeping-chinas-tiktok/article/3051069?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Feb 2020 01:50:49 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS As the coronavirus keeps students away from campuses and taking classes online, schools are starting to go overboard in trying to monitor and control what kids are doing at home. At least that’s what China’s Ministry of Education thinks. The government’s education department recently released a statement decrying schools for making it mandatory for students to clock in and out at specific times of the day. The ministry said schools shouldn’t place a... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3050252/china-warns-schools-about-strict-rules-online-classes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/news-bites/article/3050252/china-warns-schools-about-strict-rules-online-classes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Feb 2020 08:24:13 +0000 As the coronavirus keeps students away from campuses and taking classes online, schools are starting to go overboard in trying to monitor and control what kids are doing at home. At least that’s what China’s Ministry of Education thinks. The government’s education department recently released a statement decrying schools for making it mandatory for students to clock in and out at specific times of the day. The ministry said schools shouldn’t place a hard minimum on how much a student should... https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/china-warns-schools-about-strict-rules-online-classes/article/3050176?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china-tech-city/china-warns-schools-about-strict-rules-online-classes/article/3050176?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Feb 2020 08:24:12 +0000 Ma Gongzuo, a beekeeper in Zhejiang, China, has garnered more than 700,000 followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of video app TikTok. From opening up a hive to swimming in a river to chopping wood, he has used the service to share his day-to-day life in China’s rural areas with his followers. https://www.scmp.com/society/beekeeper-rural-china-hits-it-big-live-streaming-his-everyday-life/article/3045308?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/beekeeper-rural-china-hits-it-big-live-streaming-his-everyday-life/article/3045308?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2020 09:12:20 +0000 As TikTok faces mounting pressure from US lawmakers concerned over national security issues and alleged censorship, its parent company, Bytedance, is encountering a different sort of challenge.  Tencent, China’s largest gaming and social media company, is set to invest $2 billion into Kuaishou, a rival short-video platform that competes with ByteDance-owned Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) in China, according to a report by The Information. Tencent and Kuaishou did not immediately respond... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tiktok-thrives-globally-its-parent-company-bytedance-faces-new-challenge-home/article/3041980?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tiktok-thrives-globally-its-parent-company-bytedance-faces-new-challenge-home/article/3041980?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Dec 2019 09:53:56 +0000 A Chinese live-streaming app has lost its appeal and was ordered to pay compensation after a “rooftopper” fell to his death while doing live-streaming from the top of a skyscraper.  Wu Yongning, known as China’s No 1 rooftopper, had more than one million followers on several live-streaming apps and had uploaded almost 300 videos of his daredevil stunts in which he scaled tall buildings without any safety equipment. Wu, who said he relied only on “martial arts training and careful... https://www.scmp.com/society/live-streaming-app-pay-compensation-after-rooftopper-fell-his-death/article/3039353?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/live-streaming-app-pay-compensation-after-rooftopper-fell-his-death/article/3039353?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 09:11:38 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Twitch might be synonymous with live-streaming games in the US, but in China, there are two giants dominating the field. Douyu is the larger of the two, but rival Huya is growing fast by focusing on a different target: Mobile games like Honor of Kings and PUBG Mobile. Huya made its platform more mobile friendly in a bid to beat its larger rival, and in a way, it’s working. Huya’s 146 million monthly active users (MAUs) might fall short of Douyu’s... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3038692/how-live-streaming-site-huya-uses-mobile-beat-its-larger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/who-what/what/article/3038692/how-live-streaming-site-huya-uses-mobile-beat-its-larger?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Nov 2019 02:05:28 +0000 Governments around the world are scrambling to figure out how to deal with harmful content online, whatever they think it is. The United Kingdom seeks to enforce a mandatory age check for online pornography. Singapore has proposed laws targeting the spread of “fake news.” New Australian legislation punishes social media companies if they fail to take down violent content quickly. While different countries have different things in mind when it comes to what is bad, China’s sophisticated... https://www.scmp.com/tech/what-china-can-teach-world-about-controlling-internet/article/3006687?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/what-china-can-teach-world-about-controlling-internet/article/3006687?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2019 09:53:59 +0000 Live-streaming has exploded in China in recent years, along with online dating. Now, there’s a service that combines both—to often hilarious effect. Chinese dating app Zhenai, the offshoot of an online matchmaking service, has a feature that allows users to have blind dates through video chats. But these chats happen live, in public and for everyone to watch and comment. That means prospective partners’ parents might check in to see how a date is going, drawing parallels to how parents in China... https://www.scmp.com/culture/imagine-your-parents-spying-your-date-china-theres-app/article/3001106?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/imagine-your-parents-spying-your-date-china-theres-app/article/3001106?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Mar 2019 11:20:50 +0000 Plowing fields, feeding animals, and pulling weeds—now you can add live-streaming to the list of tasks farmers have to do in China. Ever since Taobao, China’s Amazon, introduced a live-streaming app in 2016, about 100,000 farmers have used it to promote their products, according to Alibaba, which owns Taobao. (Alibaba is also the owner of the South China Morning Post, of which Goldthread is a part.) One farmer reportedly sold 2 million pounds of oranges in two weeks through live streams. The... https://www.scmp.com/culture/live-streaming-helping-chinese-farmers-sell-their-goods-online/article/3000415?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/live-streaming-helping-chinese-farmers-sell-their-goods-online/article/3000415?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jan 2019 15:42:48 +0000