Chinese livestreamers flock outdoors for late-night tips

In the dead of night on a bridge in southern China, around two dozen livestreamers sat crooning and chatting into microphones, their identical ring lights spaced a few metres apart in glowing rows.

The broadcasters gather in spots like this in the city of Guilin most nights in hope of standing out to users scrolling through reams of livestreams on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, where viewers can donate to their favourite streamers. "There are too many indoor livestreamers," said 27-year-old Qiao Ya, who sings and talks about daily life to anyone who happens across her channel from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am every night. "Since I'm relatively average and don't have any skills, I stream outside to use the views to attract online 'passers-by'." Conditions can be harsh -- when AFP visited this week, the temperature had dropped to almost zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), with streamers bundled in thick blankets and some bringing small heaters. "Viewers might feel if we're outdoors or just by ourselves late at night that it's very tough, so they might be nicer to us," said Qiao, who like most Douyin performers, is signed with a livestreamer talent agency. Livestreaming on apps like Douyin, which said it had 600 million users in 2020, is a popular way to make money in China. Activities range from selling merchandise, demonstrating life hacks, singing and dancing to chatting with viewers. Some livestreamers -- like "Lipstick King" Li Jiaqi -- have become e-commerce celebrities, making millions of dollars in endorsements and advertising fees through the platform.

But for those on the bridge, the earnings are much slimmer. Viewers can buy virtual gifts for a range of prices -- represented by emojis such as race cars, rockets and carrots -- and give them to the streamers, who can convert them into money. Qiao's only income comes from donations to her stream. On a good day, she makes up to 600 yuan ($87) over eight hours of streaming. On a bad day, her takings can be as low as 10 yuan ($1.50). Qiao's agency takes a 10 percent cut of her revenue in exchange for equipment rental and management of her social media presence. Douyin takes another 50 percent, leaving her with just 40 percent of what she makes. Douyin's parent company ByteDance, which also owns TikTok, reported $18.3 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2022. ( Source AFP)