You, me, and everyone else: the inner workings of livestreaming

In partnership with AWS Startups

One of my favorite celebrity livestream moments in recent years features Eunkwang, a K-pop idol from the group BTOB. In this particular stream, he was trying to tell a fan who was sad to cheer up – but with his limited English proficiency, that didn’t quite go to plan.

Eunkwang’s slip-up was hilarious. But it also highlights how livestreaming can connect celebrities, influencers, and other creators with their fans in new ways. The medium has grown all around the world, fueled by the creator economy.

And it’s not just individual influencers who are riding this wave – brands are getting in on the action too. Live selling, anyone?

At Tech in Asia’s annual Product Development Conference in Jakarta last year, I got to peek at the inner workings of livestreaming at a panel featuring IDN Media, a local digital media firm.

Organized in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the session was titled “The Rise of Creators Economy: Maximize Your Growth Using Live Streaming Platforms.”

Here’s what went down.

Interaction and engagement

According to Kania Aisha Pasaman, the head of communications at IDN Media, there are three stakeholders in the creator economy: the creators, the brands, and the audience.

Livestreaming bridges the connections between these three players.

“The real-time interaction between the content creator and their audience – I think that’s as close as you can get to real-life interaction,” said Ariel Aulia Widjaja, IDN Media’s head of product.

The media firm pointed to Indonesian-Japanese idol girl group JKT48 as an example of livestreaming in action. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, JKT48 had near-daily performances at its theater in FX Sudirman, a shopping mall in Jakarta. However, when the pandemic forced these shows to pause, the group had to find other means of connecting with fans.

Livestreaming proved to be an ideal solution, as the group was able to receive and respond to real-time reactions from audience members watching their streams on IDN Live, IDN Media’s livestreaming service. Tools such as virtual gifting and live chatting allowed fans to interact with their favorite idols.

These virtual interactions can help fans feel closer with the idols in a different way than meeting them in real life. Eunkwang’s “give up!” incident, for example, feels like something that could have happened on a video chat with a friend.

The technical details

The technical aspects of setting up a livestreaming platform were also discussed. After all, livestreaming is more than just having a video stream – live chat, gifting, and reaction functions are essential, and the platform needs to be able to accommodate however many people tune in.

IDN Media turned to AWS’ suite of livestreaming tools, known as AWS Interactive Video Service (IVS), to build IDN Live’s capabilities.

Aside from having limited resources to build its own content delivery network, IDN Media had to work within the constraints of its mostly Indonesian audience, where people typically access video content via mobile devices and internet quality differs significantly across the archipelago.

“We needed to choose the right architecture to enable us to move quickly without breaking too many things,” shared Louis Larry, vice president of technology at IDN Media.

The firm used AWS’ infrastructure to develop services such as live chats and stream replays. IDN Media also benefited from IVS’ edge locations in Jakarta, enabling it to ensure low latency and high-quality video delivery.

As we say in the startup world: move fast, break things. By using tried-and-tested tech architecture, IDN Media was able to focus on creating the best experience for creators and their audiences ??.

All the right messages for all the right people

But of course, at the end of the day, content is king.

“What is your corporate message? What are you trying to say?” said Pasaman. “From there, you’ll find your niche with your audience and see what the audience responds to.”

“With livestreaming, the feedback loop works a lot faster,” added Widjaja. “You don’t put out content and wait a few days to see if it works – with livestreaming, it can happen in real time and you can pivot and adjust quickly.”

This makes it more effective as a marketing channel. Case in point: I follow some local Singaporean brands that do try-on livestreams, where team members literally try on clothes from their new collections and model them to the audience. Aside from showcasing the clothes, they also answer questions in real time about everything from the fit to fabric, helping me get to that decision to purchase a lot quicker. It sure beats waiting on a reply from a chatbot.

Some last thoughts

As Southeast Asia’s digital economy continues to develop, I feel like livestreaming will only grow in popularity. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we can foster connections digitally, even when we’re miles away from each other, allowing a creator in Bali to interact with fans from as far away as Europe.

Additionally, the arrival of platforms like TikTok Shop – where users can consume content and purchase items on the same app – will create more avenues for brands to directly connect with creators and audiences. Social commerce contributed some US$42 billion to the regional ecommerce market in 2022 and livestreaming will remain a core part of that experience on the road ahead.

“Have that growth mindset that anything can happen – there are new technologies, things that we need to adapt to. And by being agile, we can grow,” said Pasaman.

From Grab to Halodoc, Southeast Asia’s top startups build on Amazon Web Services. Whether it’s looking for help in solving a technical challenge, hiring the right engineers, or finalizing a fundraising round, AWS has all the resources needed to support startups from inception to IPO.

Find out about how AWS can support your startup journey here.

This content was produced by Tech in Asia Studios, which connects brands with Asia’s tech community. Learn more about partnering with Tech in Asia Studios.