afreecatv.com
Many young creators have found success on the Internet by streaming on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. While some people who don't know find it bizarre, it's okay to spend hours watching others perform tasks such as playing games, dancing, or talking about technology.
One popular platform among teenagers and young adults in South Korea is Afreeca TV. This app has become a phenomenon, and everyday life in South Korea revolves around it.
In shows such as "Meok Bang?", a boy named Kim attracts a huge amount of audience. There's plenty of creators who do activities such as eating and singing while streaming live. There are more than 5000 live shows airing at any given time and among those streams, some creators are able to earn millions in a month.
What is Afreeca TV?
Afreeca TV, a peer-to-peer streaming platform, allows users to broadcast themselves and interact with the audience on the app. Afreeca TV, which was launched in 2006, has risen to prominence in recent years and was named as the 4th best company under Asia?s 200 Best Under a Billion category by Forbes in 2019.
History
Afreeca TV started as a beta service on May 11, 2005. It was later renamed to Afreeca in 2006 and the network initially transmitted TV channels. Some of the key components on the network included viewing, broadcasting, live chatting, forums, and channel listing.
Independent broadcasters were once referred to as Broadcasting Jockeys. Eight years after the Afreeca TV app's launch, it finally arrived on the Android Play Store in 2013.
The broadcasting jockeys delivered live broadcasts and the platform allowed users to add their favorite creators on their personal playlist. Few of the leading channels in the current period draw more than 10,000 viewers at a time. Paid services such as channel relays and quick views allow independent creators to generate revenue.
How does Afreeca TV work?
Afreeca TV is a broadcasting network owned by a conglomerate. It's similar to the Like app which is quite popular in South East Asia. Afreeca TV, as opposed to TV, has professional content and a self-broadcasting model with a chat window. According to research based on the growth of the network and shifting pattern of audience behavior on the broadcasting platform, we found six reasons which contribute to its successful functioning.
2. Being able to directly affect what is being said on-air. Interacting with the broadcasters and other viewers to create a more interactive experience.
2. Afreeca TV has become a source of companionship where you'll find yourself becoming a part of a virtual community that pretty much becomes an active part of your life.
The platform's unique culture has helped many people achieve fame. Almost anyone with any type of content can make a successful career on this platform if they are popular with the viewers.
Users can anonymously give and receive virtual gifts, or âstars,â through a new app feature. The gifts are similar to how gold works on Reddit, where users can exchange them for other items or services.
The network provides a wide variety of content that satisfies the needs of each individual user. The quality of this content as well as the structure ensures that there is no redundancy on the network.
The chat and community interaction is amazing thanks to the live cast management system.
Since we've seen the reasons why Afreeca TV is a successful app, we'll understand what makes this platform so great.
Why should you stream on Afreeca TV?
Apart from the general features, there are many reasons why you might fall in love with this platform.
Player or Radio Mode
Afreeca TV is available through the radio mode as well as its dedicated player. This means that if there's a lack of internet speed, you can still access Afreeca TV smoothly through the radio mode.
Quality Streaming
You can easily stream using any device and get great videos and pictures on both your front and back cameras. With many different settings, you can choose the right one for your situation. You can stream using your phone's data network or Wi-Fi, or choose different quality levels to get the best results.
Convenient Chatting
I love chatting with my viewers on Afreeca TV! It's such an amazing experience to be able to share photos and stickers, and the service actually goes on standby mode when there are connectivity issues so you can continue where you left off.
Great Interface
Afreeca TV's interface is simple and easy to use. At first glance, it looks very minimal but effective. It doesn't have any unnecessary elements that slow down your browsing experience. You'll get used to the menus quickly and you'll find thousands of content materials to keep you busy all day long.
Well-organized Menus
I know you must be wondering why I included this. But trust me, there are many platforms out there that still feel like they're running prototypes. As for Afreeca TV, it looks like a finished product where you can conveniently search for events and preferred content. Not only that, you can even organize videos and live streams. Afreeca TV similar to other social media networks has the power to make your dreams come true.
Design
When you step onto Afreeca TV, you'll notice that it has a distinctly Twitchy vibe. The blue and white theme is consistent throughout the website, and it looks great. Apart from that, I find the placement of menus and categories very unique.
Header
Afreeca TV's header section has a search bar right before Go live and VR Player option. If you Go Live, you can broadcast yourself and with VR Player you can access videos with VR feature enabled by the uploader. Towards the right, you have Help Center along with Login and Sign up option for new users. As for the four blue boxes on the left, you have subcategories such as Videos, Radio, eSports, Games, Items, Star Balloons, Notice and Ask 1:1.
Horizontal Categories
There is a categories section on the left that has Live, VOD, and Favorites options. Each of these categories has its own page with certain subcategories. For instance, if you click on VOD, as many as ten options - Popular, Favorite User Clip, Favorite VOD, Most Recent, Most Liked, Hot Issues, Special, New Streamer, Animations, and eSports come up.
Hero Section
There are 15 different streams on one page on the desktop, each divided into different headings such as Live Now, Social Hot Clips, StarCraft Hot Clips, Featured Streamers and Global Streamers.
Content
There's a lot of content on Afreeca TV. You can stream 5000+ videos at any given time from any device. You'll find television show clips, live videos, and VODs from independent creators.
Success Stories
Afreeca TV is a great platform for finding unique content. I've been using it for three years, and I stream every day on the network. Recently, I watched an episode of my 14-year-old cousin's show, in which he made two million won ($1,800). He's Patoo on the network, and his success story indicates Afreeca TV's stronghold in the South Korean market.
Crucial Numbers
Afreeca TV has around 8 million unique visitors each month. Out of that, around 40% of them are teenagers or young adults. Many teenagers have told researchers that the chance to interact with the broadcasters is what makes streaming on Afreeca TV unique.
Usability
The Afreeca TV app has a clean interface that reminds me a lot about Facebook with similar options on the top and at the bottom of your screen. It worked well on my iPhone X as well as my Google Pixel 2. I watched a couple of live videos and VODs.
Suggestions I have for Afreeca TV
Afreeca TV seems like a pre-dominant South Korean app to me. Most of the streams on the network are from Korean creators and frankly, as an outsider, it's tough for you to relate unless you want to learn about the culture.
Conclusion
A free app that is popular for amateur content and raw footage, Afreeca TV is a refreshing alternative to professionally made videos on other social media platforms. In my opinion, it fills the gap YouTube started originally claiming to fill.