CEO of Internet celebrity brokerage company: Internet anchors earning millions a month is just an extreme case

2016 is called the "first year of online live broadcasting in China." According to incomplete statistics, the number of online live broadcast platforms in China has exceeded 200, and the number of online anchors active on these platforms is so large that it is impossible to count. Previously, a "Gold Medal Anchor Price List on a Live Broadcast Platform" circulated on the Internet showed that the signing price of the highest-valued anchor on the platform had reached 2 million yuan in January. Industry insiders believe that there is a lot of moisture and is only an extreme case.

Original title: CEO of Internet celebrity brokerage company: Internet anchors have a monthly salary of 100,000? Basically it's fake.

2016 is called the "first year of online live broadcasts in China." According to incomplete statistics, the number of online live broadcast platforms in China has exceeded 200, and the number of online anchors active on these platforms is so large that it is impossible to count.

With the rapid advancement of the Internet celebrity economy, its business model has also continued to evolve. In addition to some anchors who spontaneously entered the live broadcast platform and grew up accidentally, the professional marketing teams behind many Internet celebrities are also looming. The "Internet celebrity incubator" that cultivates Internet celebrities on a large scale has gradually entered people's vision, and the competition for online live broadcast platforms has become increasingly fierce: Zhenge Fund, Sequoia Capital, IDG, and top investment institutions have deployed one after another; Tencent, Weibo, Momo, and Internet giants have intervened one after another... However, while relying on Internet celebrities to become a new huge traffic portal in the mobile era and enjoying the traffic carnival, more than 200 live broadcast platforms are fighting each other, which has also accelerated the industry's reshuffle.

Recently, the reporter walked into Jiuyu Media, an Internet celebrity brokerage company in Chengdu, and conducted an exclusive interview with its CEO to explore the stories behind those anchors who make millions a month. At the same time, the reporter also interviewed some well-known domestic online live broadcast platform companies. With the advent of the era of national live broadcast, how far can this industry go? Where is their business logic and future?

The

mysterious "union" behind the anchors

of Internet celebrity agencies On Yingke, one of the most popular Mobile Live Video Broadcasting platforms at the moment, you only need to spend a few seconds registering an account to broadcast live. The world inside your mobile phone camera is your stage. However, it is not easy to become popular on this stage. Jiuyu Media, established in 2015, is a brokerage company specializing in creating Internet celebrity incubators. In 2014, its predecessor was just a "trade union".

"There are two types of Internet anchors you see. One is that has a 'union', and the other is purely personal." Li Xu, CEO of Jiuyu Media, said in an exclusive interview with reporters that a year or two ago, the active stage for online anchors was mainly on the PC side. At its peak, there were nearly 200 live broadcast platforms nationwide. For the platform, it was unrealistic to manage anchors one by one, so a "trade union" emerged-a "trade union" absorbed a group of anchors, moved into a certain platform in batches, negotiated conditions with the platform on behalf of the anchors, and managed its anchors. Operation and maintenance. Even at that time, many live broadcast platforms only allowed "trade unions" to settle in and did not allow individual anchors to settle in. Since 2016, the trend of national live broadcasting has been in full swing, which has also lowered the entry threshold for anchors. Li Xu said that at present, on national live broadcast platforms like Yingke, many anchors spontaneously settle in, which has a certain impact on the "trade unions". However, they will still settle in the platform through other forms, and anchors rely on the "trade unions" or brokerage companies, and can also enjoy the support of many resources.

Top anchors earn 2 million yuan a month?

This is just an extreme case.

Previously, a "Gold Medal Anchor Price List on a Live Broadcast Platform" circulated on the Internet showed that the signing price of the highest-valued anchor on the platform had reached 2 million yuan in January. Li Xu, who has been in business for three years, believes that there is a lot of moisture in it. Top Internet celebrities like PAPI Sauce do earn a lot of money, but this is only an extreme case."If an anchor tells you that you make 100,000 a month, it's basically fake."

For professional brokerage companies, online anchors are the most basic business. The company will also select outstanding anchors from the large number of anchors and focus on training, forming a talent echelon of anchors, artist interns, and exclusive artists. Most of the artist interns are from academic courses, and the company will conduct a series of trainings for them to increase their exposure through various methods. The exclusive artist works almost as a member of the company, participates in various planning and shooting work, and enjoys the most resources.

Recently, the "2016 Internet celebrity ecology white paper" showed that the main models for realizing the current Internet celebrity economy include advertising, e-commerce, rewards, brokerage training, capital, etc. In Jiuyu Media, there are three main modes of monetization: platform sharing, advertising, and sales. Li Xu said that for brokerage companies, the platform share currently does not account for a large proportion of overall revenue, but its status is still important because they care more about the platform's fan data. "How many fans you have? This is an indicator. With an indicator, the company can do a lot for you."

Li Xu said that most of the monthly income of ordinary show anchors affiliated with his company is several thousand yuan. Some anchors receive gifts of one to two thousand yuan per hour of live broadcast, but this is only a very small number. The income of artist interns and exclusive artists will be better, because in addition to gift sharing and advertising income, they can also receive the company's basic salary. Take their exclusive artists as an example, their monthly salary is guaranteed to be 6000 yuan, which adds up to a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan. No problem, but there is definitely a way to go from "earning 100,000 yuan a month".

Live broadcast "How deep is the water"?

The reporter measured: It

may be difficult for anyone to explain clearly how much water injection data is behind the anchors who can even "brush" the appearance of beauty. Recently, the reporter registered a Mobile Live Video Broadcasting platform in his personal identity. The results of the live broadcast were very interesting-a few seconds after the reporter started the live broadcast, the system showed that 2 viewers entered the room. After waiting for a few more seconds, the number of viewers instantly increased to about 20. In fact, the reporter blocked the camera, and the live broadcast screen was pitch black without any images or sounds. That is to say, even if there was no live broadcast content, there were still about 20 fans in the reporter's room. Some industry insiders have revealed that these "audiences" who exist in the room like "zombies" are robots, which are "complimentary" to the platform, which can create the illusion that the room is lively.

"Data depends on brushing. This is the unspoken rule of the entire industry." As an industry insider, Li Xu is not afraid to disclose to reporters the phenomenon of injecting live data into water-live broadcasts just started to become popular in 2014. Basically, if any anchor starts broadcasting, there will be more than 1,000 viewers on the platform, creating the illusion that the room is very lively. The same is true now. Some platform or "union" operators still maintain them in the room, pretending to be normal viewers and constantly giving gifts to anchors. In Li Xu's view, this is the same as "selling goods". If you don't swipe gifts, you won't be able to promote the atmosphere of the room, and real users won't give gifts. The more gifts you swipe, the weight and ranking of the anchor will also be higher and increase exposure. Now, Li Xu's company has more than 10 operators, and almost one person connects to one platform. When his anchors start broadcasting on the platform, the operators will enter the room to help maintain order or increase popularity.

Who is giving gifts to the anchor?

"Xiaohei" may become "local tycoon"

At 8:20 pm on a Saturday night, in the Yingke live broadcast room of Chengdu female anchor "Miaie", the system showed 2970 online viewers;20 minutes later, the number of viewers increased to 11,000, and then 18,000. Miemie is a sophomore girl in Chengdu and currently has more than 270,000 fans.

At the bottom of the screen, the audience spoke in an endless stream; at the top of the screen, gifts from fans also kept swiping the screen. Whether it's speaking or giving gifts, Yingke actually needs to recharge virtual "diamond coins" to operate. The cheapest gifts such as cherry blossoms and watermelons cost RMB 0.1, and the most expensive "cruise ship" is worth 1314 yuan. The reporter noticed that in just 10 minutes of live broadcast, a netizen sent 200 "watermelons". In the three months since the live broadcast, Miaia has received a total of 8.56 million tickets, which can be converted into RMB to withdraw 270,000 yuan, equivalent to an average daily income of 3000 yuan.

Li Xu said that in the past, she and her friends had wondered whether viewers really gave gifts. It wasn't until she worked as an anchor for a period of time that she discovered that real viewers would come in and out of many anchors 'rooms and would not give gifts immediately. Until one day when she met an anchor she liked, she might make an exception and give gifts. After getting into the habit, he would give gifts whenever the anchor came online in the future. "Don't look down on any small black account"-this is a jargon circulating in the anchor industry. According to Li Xu's explanation,"small black numbers" refer to those passers-by who have no rank and do not give gifts. These people may develop into "local tyrants", and once the other party opens up to give expensive gifts, the standard of giving gifts will not be lowered. In addition, these big-spending fans will also form groups to interact with the anchor outside the platform to protect the anchor. In addition, someone suddenly entered the room to deliver expensive gifts to the anchor, and then disappeared. Li Xu said that she did not understand the reason.

Dividends are beginning to disappear,

the industry is accelerating reshuffle.

According to the "2016 China E-commerce Celebrity Big Data Report", the output value of the celebrity industry in 2016 is expected to be close to 58 billion yuan.

However, in the eyes of Li Xu, who has been in the circle for many years, these lively activities are like fireworks with beautiful appearance. In fact, the dividends of the Internet celebrity economy are disappearing, and under the surface scenery, they are actually struggling to survive. When their "trade union" entered the industry in 2014, online live broadcasts were still the world of PC. In 2015, major live broadcast platforms have sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain, and various live broadcast platforms across the country are fighting fiercely. Especially in the first half of 2016, the wave of national live broadcasting rose, and the previous dominance of pc was gradually shaken by the Mobile Live Video Broadcasting platform. At present, the entire industry has generally formed a pattern of competition among YY, Yingke, Douyu, Zanthoxylum bungeanum and other heroes.

"Just because this industry is at the forefront, it is changing every day." Li Xu said that during the Spring Festival this year, their company only had two days off because it was worried that the days would suddenly change when they came back after the holiday would take too long. But just two days later, the rapid changes in the industry still disrupted the plans they had set before the year.

For "trade unions" and brokerage companies, the platform is the "trade unions" that cling to the ceiling of survival. Li Xu said that although they will settle in on almost all mainstream platforms and work hard at the same time, once they stand on the wrong team, it means that future work will be difficult to carry out. For example, after many people are occupied by other "trade unions", even if they settle in, they will not get good resources, and many policies will change every day and are constantly being adjusted.

"You asked me what the future of the Internet celebrity economy will hold, but I don't know, nor do the platform. I only know that I have to speed up, otherwise I will be eaten by big fish and won't survive the second half of the year." Li Xu predicts that this industry reshuffle that began last year will accelerate in the second half of this year. Many platforms,"unions" and brokerage companies will die, leaving a few "unicorns" behind.

The live broadcast platform is still "burning money". It is

aimed at the post-90s generation

, whether it is "Internet celebrities" or Internet celebrity brokerage companies, ultimately they are inseparable from the presentation platform-the online live broadcast platform. Around 2005, with the launch of video websites such as Le.com, Tudou, 56.com, and Liujianfang, the "podcast" model of user-original content they brought also triggered national participation. With the popularization of smart terminals and the continuous upgrading of the network environment, from 2013 to 2014, Short Video applications represented by Meipai, Niaopai, and Xiaocai Show became popular. In June 2015, the Mobile Live Video Broadcasting APP "17" invested by Wang Sicong suddenly exploded into the social circle, arousing users 'curiosity about Mobile Live Video Broadcasting. As a result, from the appearance of emerging game live broadcast platforms such as Douyu and Panda, to the popularity of mobile national live broadcast apps such as Yingke and Zanthoxylum in 2016, online live broadcasts swept the country.

How popular is the current live broadcast? On the venture capital industry database IT Orange, the reporter was able to search for 290 startups using the keyword "live broadcast". Most of them were established in the past two years, and the number is still growing. At the same time, data shows that as of June this year, there are more than 200 live video platforms nationwide, and it is expected that the number of online platforms will increase to 400 throughout the year, with a market size of 50 billion yuan.

Behind the popularity of live broadcasts, it is also inseparable from the fanatical pursuit of capital. Previously, according to data from "New Media Classroom", 108 of the 116 live broadcast platforms it counted had received financing. Participants in the capital market are all profit-seeking, and the live broadcast industry is booming, but it is not easy to share the cake brought behind it. According to the reporter's understanding, the current profit model of most live broadcast platforms, in addition to advertising, e-commerce, game intermodal transportation, etc., generally relies on users to purchase virtual gifts such as "flowers and cruises" to reward anchors. The platforms draw a commission from them, and the commission ratio of each platform is also different.

But at present, these incomes are still a drop in the face of the platform's operating expenses, and the live broadcast platform is almost still burning money. The reporter tried to contact Yingke, a "dark horse" who interviewed the live broadcast industry, but the relevant person declined the interview. Previously, public information showed that Yingke, which had only been launched for one year, had received more than 150 million yuan in financing. However, some industry insiders pointed out that although the financing amount was huge, in the face of the national live broadcast industry, which still relied on a large amount of money to occupy the market, the funds will not last long. If more "takeovers" are not introduced, platform operations will encounter bottlenecks.

So, whose money does the live broadcast industry want to make? According to Jin Fengchun, a partner of Safran Fund, the logic of investing in a live broadcast platform is to capture the new generation of people born in the 1990s. Coincidentally, the data provided by Zanthoxylum bungeanum Live Broadcast also shows that as of May, the platform's daily active users have exceeded 5 million, and the core population is mainly concentrated in the post-90s and 1995 age group.

Editor: yvette