Live streamers on adult content platforms are becoming goddesses and idols that are worshipped and paid by fans.
The News Lens
Date: 2019/12/17
By: Zoe T
Translated by Lin Ying-jen
Thanks to high-speed internet and smartphones, “platform economy” extends across video streaming service, food delivery, and transportation. In light of new business models rapidly developing, aside from food delivery and transportation, adult idol streaming platforms also benefit from the platform economy that boasts high-speed internet and high-definition display.
SWAG, an adult streaming platform that features “zero distance from your idol,” has gradually emerged from an open secret among users to a platform promoted by mainstream YouTubers. However, adult streaming platforms don’t seem to receive the same criticism about its “labor practice” like the ride-hailing or delivery apps. Does this open a new door for the adult entertainment industry?
Taiwanese people are already familiar with video streaming platforms that carry adult content. 17, for example, is now an online platform for singers in training. But when it was launched in 2015, some live streamers had put out pornographic content, and the operator of 17 was questioned by the police; the app was even removed from the store within seven days.
Jeffrey Huang, the founder of 17, also founded the popular video streaming app SWAG. It was initially advertised for its “one-on-one private chat” feature. But its private virtual environment eventually turned SWAG into “the largest adult chat platform in Asia,” directly attracting consumers with the label of adult content. [FULL STORY]