“I can’t believe so many people came for something of general knowledge,” wrote the streamer Etoiles sur X, ex-Twitter. On September 19, he hosted Culture Clash, a major general knowledge program inspired by game shows like Questions for a champion.
Broadcast live on the streamer’s Twitch channel to tens of thousands of Internet users, Culture Clash brought together 2,300 people at the same time in the Grand Rex room in Paris and more than 100,000 viewers simultaneously on Twitch. “For me it was a crazy dream to do this show,” he says live the content creator followed by 1.1 million subscribers.
A French exception?
Because if video games with live commentary continue to be the preferred content of videographers on Twitch or YouTube, the bridges between the virtual world and “in situ” events are increasingly numerous. Sports races, talk shows at the Zénith, general information programs and previews in cinemas… Content creators carefully identify opportunities to meet in a very real environment to create experience and engagement with the public.
Tennis tournaments at Roland-Garros in May with Domingo, Petanque Explorer by Mcfly and Carlito in June or even the broadcast at the Grand Rex of the Inoxtag documentary about their ascent of Everest: in 2024, there will be more than fifteen major events with the public . As a highlight of this new trend, the month of September hosted no less than five videographer events with the public in September.
These experiences are increasingly numerous and monumental. This is demonstrated by some operations such as the second edition of the Grand Prix Explorer, a Formula 4 race with numerous famous cameramen, which welcomed 60,000 people in 2023, or the DTR Fight, a boxing tournament organized next December by RebeuDeter in the Paris Arena. defense against 35,000 people.
Nothing surprising for Jonathan Condessa, strategic planner at the OTTA agency. This step towards luxury allows us to respond to an important challenge: that of “discoverability”, in a world of profusion where distinguishing oneself from other creators becomes a little more difficult every day.
A financial risk
To show off, streamers usually surround themselves with professionals from the artistic world. For its adventure to the top of Everest, Inoxtag was able to count on dozens of technicians equipped with cameras, drones and other high-end microphones. Same story for Billy’s DTR fight.
“Entering events means taking a financial risk,” recalls Jonathan Condessa. Prices for these events are skyrocketing. Between the equipment, the filming equipment, the sets, the rental of the rooms… Content creators do not hesitate to invest hundreds of thousands of euros in the production of increasingly ambitious events.
Billy estimates the preparation of his event at 3 million euros. A cost absorbed in part by brands such as Samsung or Wilkinson, willing to pay a high price for the young man’s image. Same observation for Inoxtag. The documentary was funded by sponsors including Deezer, AirUp, Fitness Park and the dairy lobby.
A significant amount, therefore, but the potential benefits justify it. For both brands and videographers, the goal is the same: retain and capture a new audience. “The visibility at this type of event is extremely good,” underlines Jérôme Bloch, strategy and marketing director of Mobile eXperience at Samsung Electronics France. Squeezie’s GP Explorer 2, sponsored by Samsung, saw a peak of over 1.3 million people connected to GP Explorer 2.
Especially since brands tend to target a younger demographic, which is very popular with sponsors. “Billy is mainly followed by Generation Z and Apha, who share our values of improvement,” continues the marketing director. In short, a population that corresponds to Samsung’s objective.
The whole challenge is to respect the world of the videographer by inventing other ways to extend the experience beyond Twitch to satisfy the communities.
Strengthen existing links
Because by crossing the screen, the cameramen come into contact with the first vector of their success: their fans. “They unite their community and strengthen the bond of trust with their subscribers,” adds Jonathan Condessa. And success is there. Last year, the 60,000 GP Explorer 2 tickets, sold for around fifty euros, were sold out in less than an hour.
“I’ve been watching Mybetterself videos since I was a teenager and it’s a pleasure to be able to support her,” explains Inès, 26, who went to the Bataclan to attend the recording of the influencer’s podcast in September. “For the most part, we’re from the generation that grew up with YouTubers.”
“Being with other fans who watch their videos, sharing them with people, is a highlight,” adds Iliès, 16, who attended the cinema screening of the Inoxtag film. “The excitement is multiplied by ten.” The preview of Kaizen: a year to climb Everest It attracted more than 360,000 viewers during its single day of broadcast.
Some of these fans came with their friends, or family, who did not know the YouTuber well. “I came with my best friend Océane,” explains 17-year-old Lou-Anne. “She didn’t know much about Inoxtag, but I motivated her to come.”
Recruit a new audience
Because these experiences have another great advantage. “By creating the event, streamers capture a new audience that would not necessarily be interested in the YouTuber’s more traditional content,” analyzes Jonathan Condessa. This is, for example, the case of ZEvent, the charity marathon organized every year by Zerator. As the years go by, “we see that the enthusiasm is more intense, the public is opening up” confirms the streamer. “At first it was our niche. Now, people from 7 to 77 years old talk to us about it even though they don’t follow any stream the rest of the year.”
With the hope, therefore, of transforming the curious into active members of the community. A successful bet for Inoxtag. The cameraman’s subscriber number skyrocketed after the release of his documentary. According to data from Social Blade, the 22-year-old budding mountaineer gained 440,000 subscribers on YouTube in less than a week. An increase of 5.5%.
Based on these successes, some videographers go even further and create their own rooms to host their events. This is the case of Kameto. The founder of esports team Karmine Corp inaugurated the Evry-Courcouronnes Arena on September 20. A venue with several thousand seats where matches will be played in public in the most popular esports structure in France, now a “resident club”. A rarity in the discipline.
Source: BFM TV
