Online streamer facts for kids
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An online streamer or live streamer is someone who broadcasts themselves live on the internet to an audience. They are a type of social media influencer. People watch them play games, share their daily lives, or do other fun things.
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How Streaming Started
Streaming became popular in the early 2010s. It began on sites like YouTube, where people uploaded videos called vlogs (video blogs) or Let's Plays (videos of them playing games). Even if they weren't live, these creators gained many followers. They could even earn a living from their videos.
Sites like Twitch made streaming even more popular. They added new features, like short video clips and ways for viewers to pay creators. Because streamers can earn money in many ways (like ads, sponsorships, and subscriptions), streaming has become a very desired job.
Types of Streams
Video Game Streams
Playing video games has been the most popular type of stream since the beginning. Today, most streamers earn money by doing Let's Plays, live speedruns, and game walkthroughs. Some of the biggest video game streamers, like PewDiePie and Ninja, earn millions of dollars each year just from streaming games.
IRL Streams
While many streamers play video games, many also do IRL (which means "in real life") streams. In these streams, they broadcast parts of their daily life. At first, some streaming sites didn't allow non-gaming streams. They worried it would make their content less good. But people really wanted to see non-gaming content, so it grew.
IRL streams can include many things. Streamers might answer questions while sitting at their computer. They might stream from their phone while walking outside. Some even do tutorials or show how to do things. IRL streams are a great choice for viewers who don't always want to watch video games.
Virtual Avatar Streams
Virtual avatar streams are often called VTubers. In this type of streaming, creators use virtual avatars instead of showing their real faces. Sometimes they also use voice changers. There are companies like Nijisanji and Hololive Production that help promote and support VTubers. In 2020, there were more than 10,000 active VTubers.
Streaming Around the World
South Korea
In South Korea, a streamer is called a "broadcast jockey." These broadcast jockeys have become very popular. Many viewers find them more relatable than some traditional celebrities. Some broadcast jockeys even become famous enough to appear on TV shows.
It's common for broadcast jockeys to become national stars. Recently, many famous Korean idols and celebrities have also become broadcast jockeys. They do this either to add to their careers or full-time. Many find they can earn more money streaming than acting or singing. Some prefer the freedom of streaming over traditional job offers. Even politicians have their own streaming channels.
Popular Korean streaming sites include AfreecaTV, Naver TV, and KakaoTV. People also use worldwide sites like Twitch, YouTube, and Bigo Live.
Mukbang, which is the live-streaming of someone eating a meal, first started in South Korea.
China
China has become the biggest place for live streaming. Many streamers there can earn a lot of money each month, even if they are not huge internet stars. This is because China has a very large population. Also, many Chinese citizens use smartphones for entertainment.
The live streaming market in China grew a lot in 2016 and has continued to grow since then. Chinese streaming sites often have strict internet rules. This can make it hard for them to work with other countries. Many Chinese streamers often have 100,000 viewers per stream. They can earn a lot of money just by working with a streaming agency.
See also
- Lifecasting
- Livestreaming
- Streaming media
- VTuber
- YouTuber
