Douyu, an online live streaming platform, has always been one of the most influential game live streaming platforms in China. However, a shocking news recently spread throughout the internet: Douyu CEO Chen Shaojie was arrested by the police on suspicion of major economic crimes. This news not only caused a huge uproar in the live streaming industry, but also shocked countless game enthusiasts and live streaming viewers. Subsequently, many well-known game live streaming platform top anchors announced the suspension of their broadcasts one after another, including the controversy caused by suspected involvement in gambling and money laundering activities. This phenomenon undoubtedly has brought unprecedented impact to the entire game live streaming industry, putting this once prosperous industry into a trough period.
The Douyu platform mainly focuses on game live streaming, gathering a large number of game players and viewers. The arrest of the CEO is undoubtedly a huge blow to the operation of the platform. It is reported that after the news of the CEO's arrest spread, Douyu quickly responded by announcing the suspension of all game live streaming businesses and conducting a comprehensive internal review. This decision not only affects the normal operation of the platform, but also has a significant impact on broadcasters and game manufacturers who rely on Douyu for live streaming.
For gamers, the suspension of Douyu platform means they have lost an important platform for game communication and viewing. As soon as the news of the suspension of live streaming came out, social media was filled with discussions and speculations from players. Many people are concerned about the future fate of the platform, while others are concerned about whether there will be new live streaming platforms emerging to fill the gap left by Douyu.
According to public financial report data, the revenue of well-known live streaming platforms Huya and Douyu both showed a significant decline in the second quarter of this year, with declines of about 20% and 24.1%, respectively. This negative growth not only reflects the overall weakness of the market, but also suggests that the industry may need to face significant transformation and upgrading.
The root cause of the problem lies in the legal risks associated with certain profit models in the live streaming industry. For example, the unboxing mechanism in games, although there is no unified legal definition globally, its randomness and uncertainty raise questions about whether it constitutes gambling. This provides an opportunity for criminals, with some anchors and platforms even engaging in illegal activities such as gambling and money laundering.
On May 8th this year, in response to serious ecological problems such as pornography and vulgarity on the Douyu platform, the National Internet Information Office guided the Hubei Provincial Internet Information Office to send a working group to the Douyu platform to carry out a one month centralized rectification supervision. This indicates that regulatory authorities have begun to pay attention to and rectify the chaos in the live streaming industry, striving to purify the online space and protect the legitimate rights and interests of netizens, especially minors.
What will be the future of the live streaming industry? Perhaps only by adhering to legality and compliance, continuously innovating and improving content quality, can we regain the driving force for growth and overcome the current difficulties.
Live streaming platforms and broadcasters need to handle legal, ethical, and social responsibility related issues more cautiously to ensure the healthy and stable development of this emerging industry. For fans, this is also an opportunity to rediscover and understand live streaming culture.