How this startup is honouring India's best performing live streamers

India, over the past few years, has witnessed a paradigm shift from text messages to live streaming applications and other digital modes of communication.

The platform will recognize and felicitate live-streaming hosts and talent management agencies. (Image: AFP)

Gurugram: India, over the past few years, has witnessed a paradigm shift from text messages to live streaming applications and other digital modes of communication. The revolution began after a massive increase in smartphone and high-speed internet usage across the country. Several communication start-ups came into existence because of this digital disruption in the space. Bigo Live, a mobile live-streaming platform, is all set to unveil the 2018 edition of its annual awards on January 19 in Gurugram. Reportedly the firm will recognize and felicitate live-streaming hosts and talent management agencies which performed exceptionally well on the platform, last year. Moreover, to select the winners for the much-anticipated awards from among millions of users in India, the platform has been running contests and online polls both on social media and in-app. Interestingly, as many as 37 winners will be announced in nine categories from among the thousands who participated. These categories include awards for BIGO LIVE hosts and talent agencies, BIGO Walk of Game, BIGO Walk of fame, top performing agency, debutante agency, social media sensation etc. The winners will get certificates, trophies, merchandise and cash prizes. Talking about the upcoming awards, Bigo LIVE India’s Marketing Head Nagesh Banga says, “The BIGO LIVE Awards which were instituted last year have already become very popular among the Indian live-streaming community. This is our way to acknowledge BIGO LIVE community and honour the top performing hosts and talent management agencies which have done exceptionally well on our platform over the last one year.” Since its launch in 2017, Bigo LIVE has over 57 million user base in India and over 10,000 hosts. In less than two years. “Bigo LIVE is an ecosystem which enables users to interact and socialise with each other, showcase their talent globally and earn money. We are extremely proud of the thousands of success stories that have emerged in India from people using the BIGO LIVE platform. Many of our hosts have made it big and become an internet sensation, with huge follower base & a full-time career opportunity and monthly earnings in lakhs of rupees,” Banga said further. Further explaining about the benefits of the application, Banga said, “Because of BIGO LIVE, a few hosts have also earned around INR 10 Lakh-15 Lakh per month. The boom in the live-streaming industry is also supported by Low-cost smartphones and cheap data plans. Bigo Live users can not only live their own moments but also view and enjoy other people’s moments in real time.”