Profit Patterns of Live-Streaming Platforms in China: A Case Study of Kuaishou

Abstract

This paper examines the profit pattern of live stream platforms and their effective operation by taking Kuaishou, a popular Chinese short video app, as a case. With the innovation of Internet technology and the development of online media and live-streaming platforms, live-streaming has surged and injected new resources into the Internet economy. At the same time, the competition among live-streaming platforms has intensified. Behind the fierce competition are business practices of varying qualities and low capital turnover. At present, scholars and practitioners do not thoroughly analyze the profit pattern of online platforms. Based on the review of the available research, this paper examines the current profit pattern of Kuaishou as a live-streaming platform. Moreover, it explores the problems and measures to improve Kuaishou in the fast-developing Internet era and thus provides some reference for other live-streaming platforms.