Received 364.53 Million Star Balloons at 110 Won Each
AfreecaTV's Platform Revenue Including Star Balloons Accounts for 74% of Total
This year, the top-earning AfreecaTV broadcaster (BJ) has reportedly earned well over 30 billion won even before the year ends.
According to AfreecaTV's star balloon tally site, PoongToday, on the 9th, the BJ who received the most star balloons in 2023 was 'CommanderZico.' He amassed approximately 364.53 million star balloons this year.
As of December 9, 2023, the cumulative status of BJ Commander Zico's Star Balloons. [Photo source=Captured from Poong Today]
Star balloons are 'cash-equivalent' gifts that fans watching AfreecaTV give to BJs. Each star balloon is worth 110 won, and BJs receive the amount after deducting a commission.
Usually, AfreecaTV takes a 30% commission, but CommanderZico, as a Best Partner BJ, is charged only a 20% commission.
Applying this simply, from CommanderZico's star balloon revenue of 40.6 billion won this year, deducting the 20% commission results in a net income of about 32.5 billion won.
What is CommanderZico's content like? The main content features one or two male waiters acting as hype men and about ten female BJs appearing together. Viewers point to one female BJ and donate 100,000 won worth of star balloons; the selected BJ then comes on stage and dances.
If viewers prefer another female BJ and donate more star balloons to point to her, that BJ appears and dances while saying, "Thank you, oppa. Thank you for saving my pride."
Born in 1980, CommanderZico has won several awards: the 2018 AfreecaTV BJ Awards Outdoor Talk BJ category, the 2021 AfreecaTV BJ Awards Male Talk BJ category, the 2022 AfreecaTV BJ Awards Bora Entertainer category main prize, and the Honorary Legend Award.
As Star Balloons Surge, AfreecaTV's Revenue Also Soars
As broadcasters receiving hundreds of billions in support like CommanderZico increase, AfreecaTV's profits are soaring. The scale of star balloons received by AfreecaTV BJs in the third quarter alone is estimated to be in the 200 billion won range. During this period, AfreecaTV earned over 60 billion won solely from commissions on star balloon exchanges, achieving the highest quarterly revenue ever.
According to AfreecaTV's disclosure on the 31st, the company recorded consolidated third-quarter revenue of 87.9 billion won, operating profit of 21.9 billion won, and net profit of 19.3 billion won this year. Compared to the same period last year, revenue increased by 7.4%, operating profit by 6%, and net profit by 13.2%. The operating profit margin was 24.9%.
Platform revenue, including star balloons, was tallied at 64.9 billion won. Platform revenue increased by 12.3% compared to the same period last year. Platform revenue accounts for about 74% of total revenue.
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