AfricaTV to Nurture Virtual Streamers on Global Platform 'Sup'

AfreecaTV has partnered with Over the Hand to strengthen its global virtual ecosystem.

On the 11th, AfreecaTV announced that it signed a business agreement with Over the Hand, a 3D avatar service provider, for the '3D Avatar Live Broadcasting Service' targeting its global live streaming platform 'SOOP'. Over the Hand is a company that developed 'Mascos', a one-stop service that enables 3D avatar creation and customization for virtual streamers.

[Image provided by AfreecaTV]

Through this agreement, the two companies plan to collaborate in various areas such as nurturing virtual streamers on AfreecaTV’s global platform SOOP, which is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of this year, supporting related functions, and content planning and production.

First, global streamers active on SOOP will be able to create their own 3D avatars for free and conduct live streaming. This will lower the entry barriers to virtual broadcasting, such as character production costs, equipment, and copyright issues, leading to the emergence of new streamers on the platform and creating an environment where broadcasting can be conducted more actively.

Additionally, the two companies will continue to collaborate to strengthen SOOP’s virtual live streaming ecosystem. They plan to expand platform features such as avatar customization, reaction functions, and joint broadcasts, and collaborate on content planning and production utilizing these features.

Choi Young-woo, Head of AfreecaTV’s Global Business Division, said, “We expect SOOP to provide an environment where streamers can more easily take on broadcasting challenges and create a new virtual ecosystem. To this end, we will actively support streamers to freely and actively engage without restrictions by collaborating with various companies to introduce new features.”