Game Live platform is fatal to the price of digging people

Editor's note: This article from the @ CFRP contribution, former Alibaba group experts, former media people, do the technical origin of the word enthusiasts, focus on technology internet all can kan products and business, Exchange can contact 99629463@qq.com

The reason why I send this article is because similar problems may occur in many industries, especially copyright disputes have appeared in many areas recently, or because Twitch was bought after the game anchor price rocket-type rise, some of the value of more than 20 million.

Since Twitch was bought by Amazon at more than 1 billion dollars, streaming live gaming platform has come to the spotlight, gaining more attention from the media and investors. One night, watching other people play games this alternative way of leisure is accepted by many people, while the domestic games live platform and play the same as the chicken blood for a variety of resources, the intention to occupy the opportunity.

Twitch's success seems to prove that people who like to watch other people play games are far beyond the imagination of many people, watching others play games will be the same as television, movies, books, games, and more sticky fan mode can get more stable income.

But everything is just looking good, at least in China today.

Don't forget, the bandwidth difference between China and America can be painful to die

In the United States, bandwidth costs are almost negligible compared with China's. Twitch has built the computer room and the state of the fiber, while in the states and municipalities, access to at&t these telecommunications operators are free. In the United States if you have a lot of content, the telecom operators are very happy to open access bandwidth, because users will pay more broadband packages for video. Content providers and telecommunications providers are mutually beneficial.

In China, the access to each k bandwidth, need to IDC room or CDN to pay for telecommunications or unicom. Suppose to provide users with a 800K rate of clarity, if the platform 100,000 people online, is 80 to 100G bandwidth, 1G per year 250,000, then at least 20 million, and 100,000 people online if based on game media to evaluate, one-day UV will not exceed 1 million. Because the personal live broadcast also cannot use the Peer-to-peer delay, therefore the bandwidth cost is very high.

Dou Fish, for example, the highest publicity ever have tens of thousands of people at the same time online, even if peacetime according to its maximum concurrent volume of 30% calculation, its annual bandwidth cost is also 600 million. And this cost is negligible in twitch terms. Of course, even so, Twitch is still in a loss, the Chinese game live platform is obviously a long way to profit.

Suddenly the sky-high price of digging, because Tencent is coming?

Just after 2015, a paper "game anchor income top ranking of 20 million" news quietly popular network. The cause of the event is that several large game live platform to dig horns with each other popular game anchors, speculation, the price of a first-line game anchor prices from a year ago, the annual salary of hundreds of thousands of was fired to tens of millions. For a while, netizens have spit slot, the original play a good game can become a billionaire.

(Chart from Network)

However, the facts behind it are not so simple. 2014, the price of the first-line game anchors is also hundreds of thousands of, its value suddenly soared 10 times times even dozens of times times, in addition to the Platform for anchor resources, there is a deeper reason.

For example, now the game Live platform although hot, but there is a very serious "monopoly" problem. LOL now occupies at least 50% per cent of the content output of the game's live market, while DOTA2 accounts for nearly 30%. and LOL's global operator is China's internet giant Tencent, the end of 2014, Tencent formally cut into the game live market, investment in their own platform PLU Dragon Bead Live.

For other live platforms, Tencent's entry will not only further increase the fierce competition, but also the possibility of using copyright to choke on other platforms of the dead hole. For other platforms, can only take advantage of Tencent has not fully exerting force, the layout of the game broadcast another core resources-game anchors, so in order to maintain their first advantage in the competition.

But this makes this is in the loss of the game live platform funds chain more tense, if behind no financial strength of the main support, will be hard to burn money in the industry to support the serious, so, 2015 will also become the game of the industry shuffle year.

Burn money badly, but can't find how to make money

Although the burning money is serious, but now the mainstream of the game live platform has not found its mainstream profit point, but also in the use of money to change the user phase, and how to change the user through the current is still an unknown.

Game live on the profit model is generally divided into virtual props, advertising, game distribution of three large chunks of income, the income performance of each family, there are differences. YY Tiger Live transplant entertainment anchor's revenue model, because of its platform characteristics, more users and more stable, can be through the fan gift-giving model to obtain a stable income, and can rely on the growth of users to achieve the synchronous growth of income. Other platforms, such as Dou fish also mainly through the cooperation with the page, streaming users to produce value, this through the anchor suction flow, and then through the flow of income to change the revenue model of the sustainability and market expectations, are still to be seen.

Last year, through the cooperation with the page, Dou Fish and other platforms generated monthly cash flow is only 2, 3 million, the whole year, but about 30 million, according to the current flow of fish forecast, its 2015-year page travel revenue should be in 60 million, completely insufficient support platform operation, and very far.

In addition, the advertisement also becomes the game broadcast platform the next profit target. But in contrast to the video industry, advertising is not the cure for live games. Video industry's market scale is far greater than the game live, and so far still in the margins of profit struggle, the game live through advertising to make a long way. And, because the insertion of ads will seriously affect the live experience, there is no platform to dare to try, it is estimated that within 2 years, basically no platform will be due to short-term interests and advertising spots.

But the survival pressure forced someone digital fraud, industry credibility is gone

Due to the serious burning of money, some live platform to rely on investment to live to exaggerate the number of users, with data fraud to obtain the VC again large capital investment to maintain operations. In addition, when viewers choose live video, most people will subconsciously choose to watch more, which is another reason for the fake live platform.

To a live platform as an example of the audience number of nearly 10W live room, the screen is very few, I on a single PC simulation n users at the same time to visit the live room, found the platform 12w Room online number may only 4w, moisture up to 70%.

However, the formation of digital fraud industry bubble is not only the damage to the industry itself, but also affect the entire game live industry's credibility. For also need VC transfusion of the game live platform, this is equal to thirst, finally hurt or himself.

Finally do not forget the copyright sword of Damocles, the industry may once disappear

Game live video copyright by the game screen Copyright + Anchor Personal portrait and audio + music copyright 3 constitute, and the live platform spends great effort and the host sign agreement, only contains the presenter personal portrait and the audio right, once the official game company has objected to this, it is difficult to guarantee the benefit of the live platform on the legal level.

For example, Tencent, a global operator who occupies 50% per cent of the game's live industry, has the legal means to prohibit other platforms from broadcasting lol, a industry that hangs other people's hands, and its capital risk is self-evident.

According to the style of Tencent, it is also likely that after the industry gradually become popular, through this killer will push other platforms to a dead end, so that they enjoy the entire industry benefits. Investment in Dragon Bead Live is already predicting that this day is not far off.