https://www.scmp.com/rss/501753/feed The latest news, analysis and opinion on Douyu. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China’s broadcasting regulator has banned online platforms from live-streaming video games without approval, adding another restriction to the industry just days after ending an eight-month freeze on new game licenses amid increased regulatory scrutiny. The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) said that online platforms including variety shows, live-streaming sites and short video services are barred from broadcasting games that are not approved by regulators, according to an... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3174401/china-bans-live-streaming-unauthorised-video-games-tightening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3174401/china-bans-live-streaming-unauthorised-video-games-tightening?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Apr 2022 09:30:14 +0000 Tencent Holdings Ltd plans to take Douyu International Holdings Ltd private amid disagreements over strategy among executives at the Chinese video game streaming firm, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. Tencent, the biggest shareholder in Nasdaq-listed Douyu with a 37 per cent stake, wants to team up with at least one private equity firm for the deal and is currently talking to investment banks, they said. It is aiming to complete the deal this year, said one of the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3165077/tencent-plans-take-us-listed-video-game-streaming-firm-douyu-private?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3165077/tencent-plans-take-us-listed-video-game-streaming-firm-douyu-private?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jan 2022 05:52:25 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS After its sudden disappearance from China’s ecommerce platforms, Animal Crossing: New Horizons now appears to be no longer welcome on the country’s live-streaming platforms. On Monday, internet users started lamenting a ban on live streaming for the popular Nintendo Switch game on the country’s Twitch-like streaming sites Douyu and Huya. Some shared screenshots on microblogging site Weibo allegedly showing notices about the ban sent to streamers. How... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3079890/animal-crossing-live-streams-vanish-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3079890/animal-crossing-live-streams-vanish-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:29:59 +0000 After its sudden disappearance from China’s ecommerce platforms, Animal Crossing: New Horizons now appears to be no longer welcome on the country’s live-streaming platforms. On Monday, internet users started lamenting a ban on live streaming for the popular Nintendo Switch game on the country’s Twitch-like streaming sites Douyu and Huya. Some shared screenshots on microblogging site Weibo allegedly showing notices about the ban sent to streamers.   At first, the ban didn’t appear to be absolute.... https://www.scmp.com/games/animal-crossing-live-streams-vanish-china/article/3079778?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/games/animal-crossing-live-streams-vanish-china/article/3079778?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:29:57 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Anyone who awoke in China on Saturday hoping to relax on their day off by playing a few rounds of games like Honor of Kings or Game for Peace would have been disappointed. All of the country's biggest games were shut down for the day. Why PUBG Mobile became Game for Peace in China That’s because April 4 was Ching Ming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day. During this traditional Chinese festival, families typically honor their ancestors by visiting grave... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3078670/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3078670/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2020 12:58:56 +0000 Anyone who awoke in China on Saturday hoping to relax on their day off by playing a few rounds of games like Honor of Kings or Game for Peace would have been disappointed. All of the country's biggest games were shut down for the day.   That’s because April 4 was Ching Ming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day. During this traditional Chinese festival, families typically honor their ancestors by visiting grave sites. But this year in mainland China, it was also turned into a day of mourning for people... https://www.scmp.com/culture/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning/article/3078570?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning/article/3078570?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2020 12:58:54 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Over the course of three days, 130,000 viewers tuned in to watch a live stream from Shanghai New World shopping mall. For 12 hours each day, from March 6 to 8, 12 different hosts hired by the mall hawked name-brand goods from the likes of Adidas, Dior and Lego. Welcome to shopping in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. After physical retail locations were forced to stay closed for weeks, some merchants have turned to live streaming to remotely connect... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3078208/shopping-live-streaming-apps-booming-china-thanks-covid-19-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3078208/shopping-live-streaming-apps-booming-china-thanks-covid-19-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 21:00:09 +0000 Over the course of three days, 130,000 viewers tuned in to watch a live stream from Shanghai New World shopping mall. For 12 hours each day, from March 6 to 8, 12 different hosts hired by the mall hawked name-brand goods from the likes of Adidas, Dior and Lego. Welcome to shopping in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. After physical retail locations were forced to stay closed for weeks, some merchants have turned to live streaming to remotely connect with buyers. Shanghai New World chose to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/shopping-live-streaming-apps-booming-china-thanks-covid-19-pandemic/article/3077962?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/shopping-live-streaming-apps-booming-china-thanks-covid-19-pandemic/article/3077962?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2020 21:00:06 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Wang Sicong, the Chinese billionaire’s son who famously gifted his dog eight iPhones, was once touted as China’s “most eligible bachelor.” But lately, the 31-year-old entrepreneur has accumulated so much debt that he’s been hit with spending restriction orders multiple times. The main culprit? His failed esports streaming service. Wang Sicong: China’s “richest son” is also a leading esports investor In recent weeks, Wang was placed on the country’s list... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3040002/how-founder-high-flying-game-streaming-site-wound-massive-debt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3040002/how-founder-high-flying-game-streaming-site-wound-massive-debt?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2019 13:00:09 +0000 Wang Sicong, the Chinese billionaire’s son who famously gifted his dog eight iPhones, was once touted as China’s “most eligible bachelor.” But lately, the 31-year-old entrepreneur has accumulated so much debt that he’s been hit with spending restriction orders multiple times. The main culprit? His failed esports streaming service.   In recent weeks, Wang was placed on the country’s list of “discredited individuals” by a Beijing court for owing 151 million yuan (US$21.4 million). The list comes... https://www.scmp.com/tech/how-founder-high-flying-game-streaming-site-wound-massive-debt/article/3039994?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/how-founder-high-flying-game-streaming-site-wound-massive-debt/article/3039994?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2019 13:00:07 +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 This article originally appeared on ABACUS The US game live-streaming war has now begun in earnest.  In just two months, five top video game streamers -- with a combined 24 million followers -- have left Twitch to join Mixer and YouTube, kicking off a live-streaming war among Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Massive contracts lured Ninja, Shroud and Gothalion to Microsoft’s Mixer and Lachlan and CouRage to Google’s YouTube. This has put Amazon’s dominance in the space with Twitch in jeopardy. The... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3037635/what-twitch-mixer-and-youtube-can-learn-chinas-live-streaming-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/games/article/3037635/what-twitch-mixer-and-youtube-can-learn-chinas-live-streaming-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2019 02:00:27 +0000 The US game live-streaming war has now begun in earnest.  In just two months, five top video game streamers -- with a combined 24 million followers -- have left Twitch to join Mixer and YouTube, kicking off a live-streaming war among Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Massive contracts lured Ninja, Shroud and Gothalion to Microsoft’s Mixer and Lachlan and CouRage to Google’s YouTube. This has put Amazon’s dominance in the space with Twitch in jeopardy. The tech giants now likely face a costly... https://www.scmp.com/games/what-twitch-mixer-and-youtube-can-learn-chinas-live-streaming-war/article/3037564?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/games/what-twitch-mixer-and-youtube-can-learn-chinas-live-streaming-war/article/3037564?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2019 02:00:26 +0000 The CEO of Epic Games wants you to know it won’t punish esports players for chanting Hong Kong protest slogans… even though China’s biggest game company owns 40% of Epic. “Epic supports everyone’s right to speak freely,” CEO Tim Sweeney wrote on Twitter. “China players of Fortnite are free to criticize the US or criticize Epic just as equally as all others.” That’s in stark contrast to the route Blizzard recently took when it banned an esports player for using a slogan supporting the ongoing... https://www.scmp.com/games/fortnite-maker-epic-supports-free-speech-and-chinese-netizens-fume/article/3032365?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/games/fortnite-maker-epic-supports-free-speech-and-chinese-netizens-fume/article/3032365?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Oct 2019 14:51:56 +0000 Sweden’s MTG AB surged after its portfolio company ESL, the world’s largest esports company, said it is partnering with Tencent Holdings Ltd.-backed streaming platform Huya Inc. to expand in the Chinese market for competitive gaming.   ESL’s majority owner MTG AB has entered into a binding term sheet with Huya, and plans to form a joint venture with the Chinese company. Huya will also buy $30 million worth of shares in the company, in a deal that will see ESL issue new $22 million in new shares... https://www.scmp.com/esports/huya-expands-gaming-investing-swedish-esports-company/article/3025527?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/esports/huya-expands-gaming-investing-swedish-esports-company/article/3025527?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Sep 2019 11:42:02 +0000 Live streaming companies are promising a bright future in gaming: One second you’re watching your favorite streamers, and with a click, you’re playing with your idols -- without having to download the game. Cloud gaming (or game streaming) will herald a huge change in the way the industry works, with games running not on your device, but in a server in the cloud. And some of the biggest names in Chinese live streaming are getting ready for this future by jumping into game publishing. The... https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/chinas-twitch-platform-huya-publishing-remedys-control/article/3024669?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/big-guns/chinas-twitch-platform-huya-publishing-remedys-control/article/3024669?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2019 15:59:30 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Cameras flashed and fans screamed, as Liu Mou stepped into the spotlight on a sweltering summer evening. In the industrial heartland city of Wuhan, tens of thousands of spectators jam-packed the waterside strip that bore witness to Chairman Mao Zedong’s iconic swims across the Yangtze river half a century ago. In unison, the mob roared “hubby” -- the moniker jokingly assigned to many male celebrities in China -- and Liu, 28, waved back with a smirk. The... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029528/chinas-twitch-pays-millions-dollars-keep-its-top-streamer-exclusive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/tech/article/3029528/chinas-twitch-pays-millions-dollars-keep-its-top-streamer-exclusive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:25:58 +0000 Cameras flashed and fans screamed, as Liu Mou stepped into the spotlight on a sweltering summer evening. In the industrial heartland city of Wuhan, tens of thousands of spectators jam-packed the waterside strip that bore witness to Chairman Mao Zedong’s iconic swims across the Yangtze river half a century ago. In unison, the mob roared “hubby” -- the moniker jokingly assigned to many male celebrities in China -- and Liu, 28, waved back with a smirk. The crowd was mostly men. Their adulation was... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/chinas-twitch-pays-millions-dollars-keep-its-top-streamer-exclusive/article/3022416?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/chinas-twitch-pays-millions-dollars-keep-its-top-streamer-exclusive/article/3022416?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:25:58 +0000