12: Live Streaming In Europe: Managing Talent Across Different Languages and Cultures

When it comes to the global live streaming industry, we often hear about developments in China, the emerging markets, and the US, but what about Europe? In today’s episode I chat with Eric Jangor, VP Brand and Communication, and Talent Manager Linda B. from the German dating and live streaming app LOVOO, which was acquired by The Meet Group in 2017.  LOVOO was originally a location-based pure-play dating app. Over the course of 2018 it integrated live streaming into the platform, and so far it appears to be a hit with the app’s users. In this interview, Eric starts off by sharing how live streaming complements a dating app and give us an idea of who LOVOO’s users are and how they are using the live feature.  We then discuss the European live streaming industry and its advantages and disadvantages. In the second half of the episode we focus on talent development. We hear how LOVOO built its talent management team from scratch and the tactics they use to train and retain top talent. They share how encouraging streamers to meet offline, and giving them opportunities to do so, has allowed them to develop very tight-knit talent communities. I also got them to tell me about some of the entertaining and innovative content they are seeing from their streamers.  We cover:  Learn why live streaming can work well within a dating app  Still no clear market leader for entertainment/IRL live streaming segment in Europe, this is an opportunity for LOVOO European market is fragmented, how to scale live streaming? Regional proximity makes it easier to create offline communities European culture generally more reserved, modest Many of their top streamers are male Many of the top streamers were originally LOVOO users, and didn’t have any prior streaming or social media experience  The benefits of ephemeral content  Differences between male and female streamer content  The importance of building streamers communities and how to do that Why it's important to have talent managers for each market Streamers mentioned in the episode:  Niknando: A Top Streamer on LOVOO who created his own dating show Instagram: Niknando_official Freaks in Cotton: German musicians who integrate audience and virtual gift names into their songs and have raised enough money from cash rewards on LOVOO to fund the studio recording of their first single Instagram: freaks.in.cotton Disclaimer: The views expressed by our guests are not necessarily those of The Meet Group. This discussion also includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ. More information is contained in our SEC filings. We caution you against placing undue reliance on these statements and disclaim any intent or obligation to update them.