Hiya. It’s Brady here.
In the past two years, a handful of Chinese livestreamers made headlines by being really, really good at their job. The fans of Austin Li Jiaqi hang on the words from his lips, which he uses to demo lipstick. Viya, who is called the Livestream Queen, sold a rocket last year; as far as we know, this is the only time for a spacecraft to be sold via a livestream.
People like Li and Viya have done more than entertain their many millions of followers. They have perfected the way of selling things through small screens by forming what seem like intimate, genuine connections with their viewers.
But to fly at the heights of Li and Viya means to attract the attention of regulators as well. Two high-profile livestreamers are being investigated for tax fraud. There’s no confirmation that Li and Viya are the subjects of these investigations, but many in China speculate that they are being probed.
There will likely be more to this story, not only related to the tax evasion charges, but also in the ways livestream shopping may soon undergo changes.
Jiaxing had the story. Check it out here.
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