Do People Make Money On Bigo

Video performance: Dimple D'Souza, a make-up expert, makes a six-figure income by broadcasting live and is showered with virtual gifts.

If a straitlaced anchor reading headlines off a teleprompter comes to mind when you hear the word "broadcaster", you're woefully out of touch. Every evening, thousands of smartphones beep with this notification — "Dimple D'Souza is broadcasting on Bigo Live".
Immediately, the owners of these smartphones swipe right to enter a live chat where a Chennai-based broadcaster is showing off her makeup skills in a lace black off-the-shoulder dress. As she talks, Dimple's screen is flooded with instant messages from followers, who ply her with virtual gifts like roses and tiaras.
Dimple is a star on Bigo Live, a Singapore-based app, which is a cross between Snapchat (a messaging app that allows you to post short videos which disappear after 24 hours) and Periscope (Twitter's live streaming video app where videos can be saved) for its live-streaming and multimedia messaging features. It's just one of many live-streaming platforms that allow users to showcase their skills and make a quick buck from their fan base.
Dimple, for instance, earns a six-figure salary from live streaming alone. A makeup artist cum love guru, she broadcasts on a range of topics from health to relationships to paranormal activity.
The app claims to have over 20 million registered users in India. Unlike YouTube, every user is both a broadcaster and follower. The more people you follow, the more followers you earn, who in turn gift you virtual stuff like a picture of a sports car, which can be exchanged for money. Other apps simply pay you based on the number of followers. Users range from college students to 20-something millennials who sing, bake cakes, stream video game sessions and jabber about mundane stuff.
To gain more followers and subsequently more cash, a lot of broadcasts get a little raunchy. A quick glance through various streams reveals teenaged girls lying on the bed in provocative positions reading out onscreen messages and answering questions about their personal life with eager fans. Across the screen 'call me' and 'sexy' mushrooms over the comments section along with bubbling heart emojis. Earlier this year, Vice wrote about how sugar daddies in Indonesia were spending a big slice of their incomes on sending virtual gifts to women starring in such X-rated streams.
There are other ways to make streaming money. Ishan Agarwal, a Gurgaon-based photographer, who sings for his followers on a range of popular apps like BeLive, BigoLive and Live.me, recently pocketed Rs 16,000 from his 5 lakh followers.
"I spend 2-3 hours every day on these apps," says Ishan, who stopped considering it "timepass" ever since money began streaming in. "Last month I earned Rs 16,000 by completing Bigo Live target of gaining 5 lakh followers. As your followers grow, you get new targets. Users can earn up to $1000 a month by completing targets on time.
Another way of earning money is through encashing the virtual gifts. If you are a popular streamer, the followers send you virtual gifts. The streamers, in turn, can stock up these gifts that can be transformed into 'beans'. The more popular the streamer, the more beans they earn. These beans can be encashed for real money which the app deposits in your account. The current 'bean' exchange rate is 210 beans for US $1," he adds.
The apps portray themselves as more accessible versions of television's 'Indian Idol' or 'America's Got Talent'. "Our target audience is anyone with a smartphone and talent," says a senior director from Bigo Live.
Live streaming apps have also become a great marketing tool for automobiles and media brands. Last year, Jaguar Land Rover India launched the Discovery Sport, a luxury SUV, live on Periscope. Abroad, these apps are also a hit with property agents who conduct house viewings for their real estate clients.
For 25-year-old stand-up comedian Duksh, live streaming helps promote his upcoming gigs without having to hire PR people. "The more people you follow, the more followers you have!"
Live streaming apps have also becoming a platform to let professional gamers broadcast themselves playing video games live on their PC.
Their spectators are usually other gamers who wish to learn the modus operandi of the games like Clash of Clans, League of Legends, DOTA II, FIFA online among others. They can also learn about the latest games or just make friends with those who share the same passion for the game.
Of course, in this age of online trolls and stalkers, live streaming has its dark side. Dimple, who has over 80,000 followers, has dealt with obsessive fans. She recounts an incident where one follower went a bit overboard — incessantly messaging and showering her with gifts.
"Every time I would mute him, he would change his name and appear on the next broadcast with the same request to call him," she recalls.
"So, at last, I called him during the broadcast and asked him to reveal his real name. He was reluctant because he said his wife uses the app too."