live streaming in china one
Live Streaming in China, 1
Vocabulary
| luxury | flourish | reality show |
| whim | decline | suit your whim |
| hug | emulate | stream (3) |
| host | dozens | generate |
| gamer | virtual | periscope |
| focus | lifestyle | mobile (2) |
| active | content | download |
| gift | spot (3) | couple (2) |
| token | partner | live stream |
| yacht | suit (2) | share (3) |
| split | income | drive (3) |
| cent |
Video
Transcript
Welcome to China’s flourishing new reality show industry, where anyone can use smartphones to live-stream whatever suits their whims.
User-generated video streams like this one, help drive Inke to the number one spot on Apple’s China app store many times in the past few months.
Inke is one of dozens of live-streaming apps that have started in the past year or so to emulate American live-streaming apps like Meerkat and Twitter’s Periscope.
Nearly fifteen million people have downloaded Inke. Another app called Douyu started as a live video website for gamers in 2014, and has since refocused on mobile streams and lifestyle content.
Douyu says it as a hundred-twenty (120) million active monthly users.
Unlike the US streaming apps, Chinese apps can make money off their user generated content. Fans can buy virtual gifts for their hosts. A couple of flowers cost one token, or around one point five cents (¢1.5). A virtual hug is about five tokens, or seven point five (¢7.5). Or you can buy a luxury yacht, around thirteen-thousand (13,000) tokens, or nearly $200.
Streamers in the app share their income for token sales.
Douyu says it splits token income with streamers, fifty-fifty. Inke declined to say how they split the profit with the streamers.
These live streaming apps are looking beyond user-generated content, and are partnering with professional video creators to produce more interesting content.
Questions
1. People should only live stream singing and dancing performances. True or false?
2. Live streaming and live stream viewing are very popular. Is this right or wrong?
3. Is there only one or many live streaming apps and platforms?
4. Did Douyu begin as a live-streaming app about people’s lives?
5. What is the main difference between live streaming apps in the US and China?
6. The live streamers earn money from monthly subscriptions, just like cable TV and internet subscription. Is this correct or incorrect? How do the streamers and app companies make money?
7. Do the streamers keep all, most, some or a little of the money from viewers?
A. I watch live streaming. Yes or no?
B. Does your friend do live streaming? Is live streaming popular?
C. Can people make lots of money live streaming? Can they become rich?
D. How can people become successful at live streaming?
E. What will happen in the future?
