Millions of Chinese Stream Reality Shows Starring Themselves
One popular video featured the nation’s richest man playing poker. Startups and web giants alike are cashing in by selling virtual gifts to people keen to reward popular live-streamers.
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Pole dancing, bungee jumping, a woman eating maggots: at any given hour, millions of Chinese are live-streaming all of this and much more on their smartphones.
Crazes come and go at neck-snapping speed in the world’s largest online marketplace, but China’s live-streaming phenomenon shows staying power and is already a significant business. Tiny startups and internet giants alike are making money selling virtual gifts—flowers, cars, toys—to people keen to reward their favorite live-streamers. As the business matures, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and others may start selling ads on the most popular streams.