Gizmodo and TNW Consider Streaming and Dating
Articles in Gizmodo and TNW have considered the implementation of video streaming on online dating platforms in Eastern and Western markets.
TNW focuses on Asian social apps, running the headline “China’s dating apps are experimenting with livestreamed matchmaking”. The guest post offers a step-by-step explanation of Shijijiayuan’s user interface.
Shijijiayuan allows one user to ‘host’ a video stream, and to welcome potential dates in for conversation in front of a live audience.
The live audience is able to chat with one another and with the hosts via an on-screen chat window. They can also purchase gifts for the streamers, and make an effort to contact them in private.
Matchmakers and other participants can be brought into the stream at any time – a feature implemented after Shijijiayuan realised many of the conversations were petering out.
There are also voice-only modes for camera shy users, offering chat and karaoke functionalities.
Gizmodo’s coverage comes under the headline “Mixing Chatroulette with Tinder Is the Horrifying Future of Online Dating”.
It says Shijijiayuan’s interface may inspire more Western brands in years to come, highlighting “Gen Z’s growing preference for streaming video over texting.”
Lauren Hallanan, a former professional streamer and VP of Live Streaming at The Meet Group, penned an opinion column for GDI in October explaining why she thinks the model can succeed (and is succeeding already) in Western markets.
In under three weeks, GDI’s first APAC event takes place at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. The Meet Group will host a session on their recent success in the social streaming space.
