SOOP subscription fee increase, Chijijik hot pursuit… A full-scale clash between the two companies
Publication date: 2024-11-18 15:00 Updated: 2024-11-18 13:29
〈Data Naver〉
〈Data SOOP〉
While SOOP, Korea’s No. 1 streaming platform, has raised subscription fees, Chizijik is attracting attention as it is narrowing the gap between the two companies. After Twitch withdrew from the country, the number of viewers for SOOP was usually twice that of Cizizik, but recently the gap has narrowed to about 1.4 times.
According to SoftConviewership on the 18th, the average number of viewers for Chizizik this month (as of the 14th) was 112,268, an increase of about 49.8% compared to last month (74,936). During the same period, the average number of viewers for SOOP was 143,920, an increase of only about 1.8% compared to last month (141,434). The average number of viewers on both platforms was about 1.9 times higher for SOOP last month, but the gap narrowed to about 1.3 times this month.
Since last February, when the Twitch service was withdrawn from Korea, SOOP has usually had about twice as many viewers as Chizijik on average. However, this month, Czizyk is catching up with SOOP as the number of viewers increases due to the effect of League of Legends (LoL) broadcasting. It was effective for Naver to open a broadcast channel dedicated to major LoL competitions, such as the representative e-sports league ‘League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK)’ and ‘World Championship’, last September.
Chizik/SOOP viewership index (October-November 2024) – Source: Soft Viewership
As SOOP revamped its subscription plan on the 13th, competition between the two companies is expected to intensify. If SOOP was leading the domestic streaming market, in the future it would have to compete with Chijijik to secure the number of viewers.
In this plan reform, SOOP increased the basic subscription fee from 3,300 won to 4,500 won and divided the plan that had only Tier 1 into Tiers 1 and 2. The pricing and structure were designed to be similar to Naver Chichijik’s subscription plan, which divides the plan into Tier 1 and Tier 2 and sets the fee at 4,900 won and 14,900 won, respectively. A situation has been created where the two companies will continue to compete for viewership with similar subscription plans.
However, some analyzes suggest that viewers who sign up for a subscription plan are highly loyal to a specific streamer, so the probability of viewer churn between platforms is not high.
An industry official said, “Streamers often have a unique influence on their personalities rather than their content,” and added, “Unless the streamer leaves and moves to another platform, the transfer effect will not be that great.”
Reporter Byun Sang-geun sgbyun@etnews.com
Guest 2: I completely agree. Chijik’s content is also more accessible, and their user-friendly interface makes it easier for new viewers to navigate and find what they like. Additionally, their decision to provide a mix of free and subscription-based content has allowed them to attract a diverse audience, which has definitely played a role in their rising popularity.
As the professional website editor for world-today-news.com, I would like to conduct an interview about the ongoing battle for viewer attention between SOOP and Chijik. Could you please introduce yourselves and briefly discuss your role in the streaming industry?
Guest 1: Thank you for having me. I am John Kim, an e-sports analyst working at Softonion. My role includes studying trends in the gaming industry, analyzing viewer behavior, and providing insights on business strategies for streaming platforms.
Guest 2: Hi, my name is Sarah Park. I’m a gaming content creator on SOOP and have recently switched from Chijik due to the increased subscription fees. I create content primarily on League of Legends and have a significant following on both platforms.
Q: To start off, can you share your thoughts on the recent move by SOOP to increase subscription fees and the effect it has had on viewer engagement?
Guest 1: We have seen a slight increase in viewership for SOOP after they raised their subscription fees. However, it’s not significant enough to call it a success. The increase in viewer engagement can be attributed to the loyalty of their existing subscribers and not necessarily due to the fee hike. In contrast, Chijik has been attracting more viewers with their lower pricing and exclusive e-sports content.
Guest 2: Personally, I believe the fee increase was too drastic and sudden. Many of my regular viewers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision and have moved to other platforms like Chijik. The subscription fee hike could backfire as people might start watching on free platforms or pirating content. As a content creator, it’s frustrating to see my hard work lose potential views without any control over it.
Q: What do you think factors into the increased popularity of Chijik and its ability to narrow the gap with SOOP?
Guest 1: Chijik’s partnership with Naver has been beneficial as they provide exclusive content that attracts viewers. Also, their expansion into e-sports has been significant. By hosting major e-sports competitions, they have been able to tap into a new audience segment. It’s also worth noting that Chijik
