In Japan, which is obsessed with baseball, one of the two major professional baseball leagues, the Pacific Baseball League, announced a special promotion in August this year, involving a series of new team mascots. These mascots include 12 female characters drawn in the iconic Japanese anime style.
The use of animation characters for marketing promotion is very common in Japan. Original and authorized animation characters are used to promote products, goods, services and various activities, including the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
However, the roles adopted by the Japan Baseball League are different because they are real people to some extent.
Each character is a Japanese anchor under the “virtual anchor” brokerage company Hololive. The virtual anchor is a virtual image of a real performer or a “adult” on the Internet. Hololive, which is part of the Japanese company Cover Corp, ranks among the top in the industry, and its 57 virtual anchors have a total of 43 million subscribers. In addition, there are now thousands of virtual anchors who have extended their tentacles to markets such as China, South Korea, Indonesia, and the United States.
Virtual anchors were initially regarded as a wonder in Japanese digital culture, but in the past year, it has become more and more popular around the world. During the new crown pneumonia epidemic, people in quarantine at home are generally looking for entertainment online, and millions of people choose to watch various live events-including virtual anchor subculture.
YouTube’s official data shows that in October 2020, the monthly views of the virtual anchor’s homepage will reach 1.5 billion times. “Although various streaming media trends come and go, virtual anchor content has maintained a considerable amount of playback in the past year.” said Edward Montserrat, CEO of streaming media analytics company Stream Hatchet.
One of the most popular virtual anchors is Usada Pekora from Japan. She became popular because she can play classic Japanese role-playing games and often spoof other virtual anchors in Minecraft. He also established a deep friendship with a virtual anchor in Indonesia, even though neither party can speak each other’s language fluently. According to Stream Hatchet’s data, Pekora is the third most viewed female anchor in the second quarter of 2021.
A deep and loyal fan base has prompted these talents to become digital stars, even though-or perhaps because-they are acting in a relatively anonymous manner hidden behind the avatars. Fans are very happy to help virtual anchors shape their “character image”, whether it is to open up new markets by providing translation services, or to reward support.
According to Playboard data, of the 20 YouTube channels that have received the most “Superchat” tips from fans, 17 are virtual anchors.
“The recent surge in virtual anchor content is not new to the global streaming media community. After all, it is very popular on major streaming media sites in Asia, and its broadcast volume on Western platforms such as Twitch is also continuing to rise.” Montserra Special added.
Equally striking is that a new type of advertising agency is taking advantage of this wave of enthusiasm for profit without hesitation.
What exactly is a virtual anchor?
In a sense, virtual anchors are no different from common anchors. These performers will play video games, record various reaction videos, broadcast daily activities, and interact with fans, just like other anchors on platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and China’s Bilibili.
However, ordinary anchors may publish content in their own name and show their true appearance in front of the camera, while virtual anchors hide behind their avatars for live streaming. With the help of facial recognition and motion capture technology, the avatar will imitate the performer’s expressions and movements. Virtual anchors often perform under pseudonyms, adding an extra barrier between the audience and the actual performers. The virtual anchor is not necessarily anonymous—its real identity may be “human flesh” out—but the anchor and its fans discourage discussion of the people behind the virtual image.
Although virtual anchors appeared on YouTube as early as the early 2010s, until the emergence of Kizuna AI, virtual anchors did not really become popular. The Japanese voice actress Kasuga Kasuga behind Kizuna is 26 years old and is also very popular in the “real world”. She has hosted TV shows, appeared on magazine covers, and even served as a spokesperson for Japan’s National Tourism Organization.
The development of cheap facial recognition and motion tracking software has spawned a large number of independent virtual anchors. But in many people’s eyes, it was Kizuna AI that made this digital phenomenon a big business; several brokerage companies specializing in providing services for virtual anchors did not take long to emerge, including Cover Corp’s Hololive and Anycolor’s. Nijisanji.
Brokerage companies provide infrastructure for virtual anchors, and provide technical and legal support when they deal with platforms such as Twitch and YouTube; they also sign marketing and promotion agreements with other companies, such as Hololive’s Curry Meshi Cup for Nissin Publicity and promotion.
International attraction
In October 2020, Hololive launched the first batch of virtual anchors that mainly speak English. The number of subscribers to these anchors has grown tremendously, quickly surpassing Japanese anchors in just a few weeks. Other agencies followed suit: VShojo, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded by a member of the Twitch founding team. When it came out in November 2020, it will focus on a large number of English-language virtual anchors. Its competitor Nijisanji also launched its own English virtual anchor in May this year.
Prior to this, there was growing interest in virtual live broadcasts around the world. Japanese brokerage agencies have already begun to explore international expansion, recruiting troops in countries such as China, South Korea, and Indonesia. At the same time, the translated content of the Japanese virtual anchors began to spread on overseas platforms such as 4Chan and Reddit. Japanese bilingual anchors have also begun to interact more with international audiences.
Earlier this year, the English-language virtual anchor-Gawr Gura, the shark girl-surpassed Kizuna AI to become the virtual anchor with the largest number of subscribers in the world.
At the same time, various brokerage agencies continue to break new ground in the Western market: Hololive and Nijisanji both launched second-generation English virtual anchors in 2021.
Trouble after becoming popular
Virtual anchors — or more precisely, the performers behind their avatars — face many of the same problems as traditional anchors, from online harassment and arbitrary decisions by platform operators, to copyright infringement and burnout.
Some virtual anchors even violated the political red line.
In addition, a brokerage company may permanently own the copyright to a particular virtual image or its work, even if the performer who initially promoted the image no longer works for it (or, to use an institution’s euphemism, “graduated”). Performers who break up with the organization will find that their video content is eventually hidden or even completely deleted.
However, organizations still have to consider the expectations and feelings of fans. For example, the agency previously allowed Kizuna AI to appear on multiple channels under the responsibility of multiple voice actors. This has aroused strong opposition from fans, who demanded that the original voice actor be used to eliminate rumors that she would be eliminated.
The future of virtual anchors
Despite the amazing growth recently, virtual anchors-even the concept of virtual images-have not caught the attention of most Western audiences, who are more keen to use Snapchat filters and emojis.
This situation may be about to change. In this era of remote office and mixed office, companies that want to recreate the office environment online are considering using virtual images in the work environment. For example, Facebook’s recently released Horizon Workrooms is a virtual reality application under test, which allows employees to build their own avatars and then host online brainstorming sessions. It shouldn’t be very far away when the all-hands meeting will participate in virtual images.
Many well-known brands have also begun to adopt various avatars. In April of this year, Netflix launched its own avatar-a sheep man named “N-Ko”-to promote the upcoming anime products. In July, Sony Music announced the audition of 50 Japanese “virtual talents” around its music, dubbing and other digital content.
It may not be the avatar itself that restricts the development of virtual anchors, but its relevance to the sometimes chaotic streaming media subculture. The organization must allow its virtual anchor talents to express themselves, communicate and interact with fans, and maintain a good image so that well-known brands can work with them at ease. They must strike a balance between these two points.
Although the phenomenon of virtual anchors continues to be popular all over the world, virtual anchors in the West are still not as popular as virtual anchors in Japan. According to data from Stream Hatchet, only 3 of the top 10 virtual anchors in August were English-speaking anchors. However, virtual anchors have entered the live broadcast consumer market in the West. As Stream Hatchet marketing manager Justin Rothschild said: “If virtual anchors can succeed on Twitch (a platform that relies mainly on the North American market), then there will be no live broadcast market that they cannot reach, and it will also gain more for them. Large audiences, sponsorship contracts and growth opportunities open the door.”
After a year and a half of living at home, foreign audiences have become more and more accepting of virtual anchors. Only a few weeks after the launch, one of Hololive’s second-generation English anchors already has more than 375,000 subscribers. (Fortune Chinese Network)
Translator: Wan Zhiwen
The Japanese Pacific Baseball League, one of two major professional baseball leagues in baseball-obsessed Japan, announced a special promotion in August involving a series of new team mascots. The lineup included twelve female characters drawn in Japan’s signature anime-style.
Using anime characters as marketing tools is common throughout Japan. Original and licensed anime characters are used to advertise products, merchandise, services and events, including the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Yet the characters featured in Japan’s baseball league were different in that they were real people—well, kind of.
Each character was a Japanese streamer managed by Hololive, a talent agency specializing in “VTubers”: a digital avatar brought to life online, so to speak, by a real-life presenter, or “talent.” Hololive, owned by Japan-based Cover Corp, is one of the largest of these agencies, with 43 million subscribers across its 57 talents. Beyond that, thousands of VTubers now stream in markets like China, South Korea, Indonesia and the United States.
What was originally viewed as an oddity of Japan’s digital culture has risen in global popularity over the past year. People stuck at home during COVID-19 lockdowns looked online for entertainment, and millions turned to livestreams—including the VTuber subculture.
By October 2020, VTubers were attracting 1.5 billion views per month, YouTube data shows. “While various streaming trends come and go, VTuber content has maintained considerable viewership over the past year,” says Eduard Montserrat, CEO of the streaming analytics firm, Stream Hatchet.
One of those most popular is Usada Pekora, a Japanese VTuber, best known for playing classic Japanese role-playing games, playing pranks on her fellow streamers in Minecraft, and a deep friendship with an Indonesian VTuber colleague despite neither fluently speaking the other’s language. Pekora was, according to Stream Hatchet data, the third most-watched female streamer of the second quarter of 2021.
A deep and engaged fanbase pushes these talents to digital stardom, and that’s despite—or perhaps because of—performing in relative anonymity, behind an avatar. Fans are all too happy to help VTuber’s build out the “character,” whether it be by offering translation services to crack new markets, or throwing in financial support.
According to data from Playboard, out of the top twenty YouTube channels that have received the most “Superchat” donations from fans, seventeen are VTubers.
“The recent surge in VTuber content is not new to the global streaming community, as it has been popular on [Asian] streaming sites, but [it’s] also increasing in viewership on Western sites like Twitch,” adds Monserrat.
Just as impressively, a new breed of ad agency is wasting no time commercializing the craze.
What exactly is VTubing?
In one sense, a VTuber—short for “virtual YouTuber”—is little different from your regular streamer. These entertainers play video games, record reaction videos, stream their daily activities, and interact with their fans, much like other streamers on YouTube, Twitch, China’s Billibilli and other platforms.
But while a regular streamer may release content under his own name and show himself on camera, a VTuber instead streams behind the cloak of a digital avatar. The avatar, using facial recognition and motion capture technology, emulates the expressions and movements of the performer. VTubers also often perform under assumed names, putting an additional barrier between the audience and the actual performer. VTubers aren’t necessarily anonymous—dedicated research could unmask a VTuber’s ‘previous life’—but discussion of the person behind the avatar is discouraged by the streamers and their fans.
While digital avatars had been present on YouTube since the early 2010s, the first VTuber to achieve real popularity was Kizuna AI. Kizuna, portrayed by Nozomi Kasuga, a Japanese voice actor who turned 26 this year, was also a hit in the “real world.” She hosted television shows, graced magazine covers, and even acted as spokesperson for Japan’s National Tourism Organization.
The development of cheap facial recognition and motion-tracking software has given rise to a vast number of independent VTubers. But many credit Kizuna AI for pushing the digital phenomenon into a major business; several talent agencies dedicated to VTubers later appeared soon after, including Cover Corp’s Hololive and Anycolor’s Nijisanji.
Talent agencies provide infrastructure, plus the tech and legal support for dealing with platforms like Twitch and YouTube; they also sign marketing deals with other companies, such as Hololive’s—somewhat manic—promotion of Nissin’s Curry Meshi cup noodles.
International appeal
In October 2020, Hololive launched the first cohort of primarily English-speaking VTubers. The streamers saw explosive subscriber growth, quickly overtaking their Japanese counterparts in a matter of weeks. They were soon followed by other agencies: VShojo, based in San Fancisco and launched by a member of Twitch’s founding team, debuted in November 2020 with a cohort of exclusively English-streaming talent. Rival agency Nijisanji launched its own English-speaking cohort in May.
Before these launches, global interest in VTubing had been building. Japan’s talent agencies had already started to explore international expansion, hiring talent in China, Korea and Indonesia. Meanwhile, translated clips of Japanese VTubers were starting to go viral on platforms like 4Chan and Reddit. Bilingual entertainers in Japan were also starting to engage more with their international audiences.
Earlier this year, an English-speaking VTuber—the miniature shark-girl Gawr Gura—overtook Kizuna AI to become the world’s most subscribed VTuber.
Agencies, meanwhile, continue to expand in Western markets: both Hololive and Nijisanji launched second generations of English talent in 2021.
With stardom, come problems
VTubers—or, more accurately, the performers behind the digital mask—face many of the same problems of traditional streamers, from online harassment and arbitrary decisions by platform operators to running afoul of copyright and just general burnout.
VTubers have even crossed geopolitical lines.
Additionally, agencies may own the rights to a particular avatar or their work even after the original performer who popularized it leaves (or, as one agency euphemistically calls it, “graduating”). Performers who leave the agency on bad terms can see their videos “privated,” erasing entire bodies of work.
However, agencies still have to consider fan expectations. In one example, efforts to expand Kizuna AI’s presence to multiple channels—handled by multiple voice actors—led to a fan backlash that required the original voice actor to return to dismiss rumors that she was being phased out.
The future of VTubing
Despite the impressive recent growth, VTubers—and even the larger idea of digital avatars—fly under the radar of most Western audiences who instead spend their time with Snapchat filters and animated emojis.
That may be about to change. Companies looking to revive a semblance of an office environment in an age of remote and hybrid work are mulling the use of avatars in more professional settings. Facebook’s recently announced “Horizon Workrooms,” for example, is a virtual reality app in beta that would allow a worker to construct a digital avatar of herself who would then lead a virtual brainstorming meeting. Could all-hands virtual meetings populated by you and your colleagues, all in avatar form, be that far behind?
And, established brands are adopting all manner of virtual avatars. Netflix launched its own digital character in April—a “sheep-human lifeform” named N-Ko—to advertise upcoming anime offerings. And in July, Sony Music announced auditions for 50 Japanese “virtual talents” for music, voice-acting, and other digital content.
What limits VTubing is perhaps not the digital avatar itself, but rather its connection to the sometimes rough-and-tumble streaming subculture. Agencies have to balance giving their talent the permission to express themselves and communicate with their fans—sometimes in ways that cross into not-safe-for-work territory—and preserving an image that established brands feel comfortable attaching themselves to.
While the phenomenon continues to catch on globally, Western VTubers still lag their Japanese counterparts in popularity. According to Stream Hatchet, only three of August’s top 10 VTubers are English-speakers. Yet VTubers have broken into Western livestreaming consumption. As Justin Rothschild, marketing manager for Stream Hatchet notes, “If VTubers can succeed on Twitch [a primarily North American platform], there doesn’t exist a live streaming market they can’t reach; opening doors to even bigger audiences, sponsorship deals, and growth opportunities.”
After a year and a half of life mainly indoors, foreign audiences are becoming increasingly receptive to the VTubing trend. Just a few weeks after debuting, one of Hololive’s second generation of English streamers already had over 375,000 subscribers.
