Naver Chijijik Shifts Focus to Virtual Streaming Amidst Market Share Struggles

Naver Chijijik, a game-specialized streaming platform, is changing its course by strengthening its virtual streaming sector. The company is looking to hire experienced employees in charge of business, business model (BM), and service planning to establish and execute its service expansion and activation strategies.

Virtual streaming, which involves broadcasting a video using a virtual character as the host, is expected to be a key area of focus for Chijijik. This genre requires specialized equipment and software for motion capture and broadcasting, and is recognized as a new streaming genre with significant growth potential. In fact, the related market size is projected to grow to 14 trillion won next year.

Chijijik’s decision to shift its focus to virtual streaming comes as the company struggles to secure viewership in the streaming market. Despite initial expectations that Chijijik would form a two-way system with SOOP, the company has failed to gain traction. In contrast, SOOP has benefited from the recruitment of streamers and acquisition of broadcasting rights for the 2024 Paris Olympics, solidifying its position as the No. 1 operator in terms of market share.

According to statistics from Softconviewership, an internet broadcast ranking site, SOOP’s average daily viewers this month increased by 2.4% from the previous month to 141,200. On the other hand, the number of people in the Chijik office decreased by 6.1% to 79,911.

A Naver official stated that the company is preparing to support creators in expanding streaming topics to other categories besides games in the future. Additionally, Chijijik is planning to create a studio to support virtual streaming creators and make it available for rental.

By shifting its focus to virtual streaming, Chijijik aims to regain its footing in the competitive streaming market and provide new opportunities for creators and viewers alike.