Broadcasting upon a shooting star: investigating the success of Afreeca TV's livestream personal broadcast model
by Soo-Kwang Oh; Hyun-Ju Choi
International Journal of Web Based Communities (IJWBC), Vol. 13, No. 2, 2017

Abstract: This study examined the increasingly popular social media platform and online personal broadcasting service, Afreeca TV. The website features a live stream self-broadcasting model accompanied by a live chat window. This study employed a qualitative content analysis of most popular shows on Afreeca TV to identify elements that make its model successful. We discuss following key elements that help understand Afreeca TV's success: 1) real-time audience participation/influence on broadcasts; 2) sociality offered through companionship and virtual community; 3) virtual celebrity arising from the platform's unique fan culture; 4) convenient expression of satisfaction through the unique 'star balloon' feature; 5) diversified content and structure fulfilling the changing needs of audiences; 6) livecast management system ensuring the quality of content and interactions. This study contributes to both research and practice by highlighting how audience behaviour on social broadcasting platforms are changing.

Online publication date: Tue, 06-Jun-2017

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