The Future of Media: One Live Stream at a Time with IDN Media

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The past few years have seen a significant growth rate due to the rising popularity of online videos driven by the pandemic. Government instructions worldwide to stay at home only accelerated the growth of the existing demand for video content as live events came to a halt. 

Currently, the viewership of online video content has steadily surpassed traditional video content platforms such as cable and satellite television. It is only natural that these days, video has become a must-have tool for plenty of marketers out there. It allows brands and individuals to communicate information in a more fun and engaging way than traditional means of communication - and what could be more fun than doing all of this, live!

As a result of this, during the past few years, the world has also seen live-streaming trends blossom as the industry matures and reacts to new and developing audience demand. With this consistent growth level, it has been said that by 2027, the live-streaming industry is forecast to be worth at least $247 billion. When live streaming took precedence during the pandemic, it rapidly drew a rising number of viewers looking for new ways to stay in touch with their friends and family during periods of isolation as it was already considered to be an increasingly popular way to engage with influencers, attend virtual events, watch video game content, and, discover products through live shopping. 

The following years ahead will see businesses and brands use streaming services to increase brand awareness and promote their products or services. Streaming platforms provide brands and companies with a unique opportunity to interact with customers and better understand their target audiences. One of the ways that this can be done is through live-streaming formats whereby they can directly interact and ask audiences questions during live-stream sessions, asking directly the type of content they are interested in or what they like the best about what is currently being shared. Features like chat, Q&A, and polling can be the foundation to make the conversation more fun and engaging as well as insightful while brands take note on the sideways on how to best improve their viewer experience with their products or services.

Ablaze alongside the blossoming creators' economy

Disrupting the local scene that quickly responded to this trend, IDN Media, the leading media giant for Millenial and Gen Z from Indonesia introduced an innovative platform called IDN. The application which has different features like IDN News (news aggregator), IDN Live (live-streaming platform), IDN Film, and IDN Quiz connects their abundance of millennials and gen-z audiences to various content creators and provides ways in which each audience or creator can utilize the application to browse the news, share content and eventually go live and make money from their live streams sessions using ads, virtual giftings, partnerships, and other monetization efforts.

The company, which was started in Surabaya, Indonesia back on 8 June 2014 by brothers Winston Utomo and William Utomo, believes that live streaming provides a way for creators to generate revenue using ads, subscription programs, and other forms of monetization. Even though the result is often less polished - live-streaming sessions are generally very highly relatable. IDN Media believes that there are opportunities for brand engagement with online shoppers looking to discover—and even inquire about—the brands and products they see on the creators inside their screens. The effectiveness of this user-generated content is strong, especially for instances where the purchases are meant to be made online. 

JKT48, who recently joined the IDN Media ecosystem, is one of those entertainers who are relying on live streaming as one of the ways to reach out to their loyal fans. “The pandemic forced the whole JKT48 squad to not proceed with live shows for more than a year. During which, live streaming is one of the ways we can still keep the connections alive. In a period of increased isolation, the role of live-streaming channels as social communities where our fans can ‘spend time’ together with the members interacting from wherever they are. Through live streaming content, we can also reach JKT48 fans outside Jakarta, build stronger relationships, and monetize it. As many may have known, what makes JKT48 different from other idol groups is the ways in which we interact with our fans. Through various different virtual giftings and stickers to direct questions and answers sessions with the members and our fans - those really make us feel like we are still in touch with them, near and far” Ryo Kenjo, Head of JKT48 shared how live streaming helps JKT48 stayed in touch with their fans during the pandemic. 

In the past year, IDN claimed to have added new features to IDN Live such as integrated chats, virtual giftings, sharing options that allow the audience to comment on content while watching, and share it with their preferred social media platforms. The latest of which also marks the launch of their user-generated (UGC) feature which has several advantages compared to similar applications.

Winston Utomo, Founder and CEO of IDN Media explained “We believe that live-streaming will be the future of media, as everyone is going to consume live-streaming content. That is why we entered this industry early, as we want to become the market leader and revolutionize the media and entertainment industry. Our vision is to democratize the ways creators interact with their audience as well as make a livelihood from streaming. In the end, we are currently building an ecosystem of creators, where everyone can have authentic, real-time, fun, and positive interactions with each other”. 

The rise of eSports on a live-stream format

Alongside this phenomenon, the growing popularity of eSports and video games is also noticeable as live video streaming gained greater viewership across all age groups. There is a sense of thrill in knowing you are watching someone live and in real-time. Gamers use live streaming platforms to broadcast gaming sessions and interact with other gamers to exchange experiences and advice.

Gamers as live streamers tend to encourage social interactions and experiential attraction for viewers. The pandemic pushed live-streaming applications such as IDN Live to grow massively by leveraging their Millenials and Gen-Z content creators as well as audiences who are generally tech-savvy and able to bring their communities live. 

The implications for brands are real. Gamers are a group of highly influential audiences with major purchasing power. But to truly connect requires knowing a bit more about why people are tuning into game-related video content.

Filipus "Bangpen" Fendi, an Indonesian content creator and founder of Genesis Dogma GIDS with 1,61 Million followers on Youtube says of how he also utilizes IDN Live for his live streaming sessions “I love that sense of community you get on platforms like IDN Live. To game is to plug directly into new, immersive worlds. It can be entertaining. It can be absorbing. It can be downright spellbinding. But, with just you and the screen, it can also sometimes be isolating. Knowing that people tune in to live-streaming sessions for fun but also to be a part of a community of like-minded individuals is great. It allows me to connect, interact and enjoy other people’s company as I go about doing my routines. The community also throws around questions or comments that make the whole experience more resourceful. Sometimes I must admit, going live makes me a better gamer. At the end of the day, the imperfections are what make live streaming sessions personal and real”.

This is why bringing together the community element of gaming in the form of live-streaming sessions is so striking. Online communities break the barriers between creators and gamers and allow them to celebrate the characters and universes they love and share them with other people.

With the closing of a Series-D investment in 2022 from many notable investors and strong financial backers, IDN Media is now on the right track to disrupt the media industry, and it may soon become the biggest media platform company in Indonesia.

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