With production investment comparable to large-scale music variety shows, "Changjing Media" aims to break the homogenization of group broadcasts with high-quality content | Early-stage project

Cultural consumption is becoming the most prominent lifestyle, and this trend will be even more evident in 2025.

Meanwhile, group live - streaming, centered around multi - person on - screen talent shows, is emerging as a new hot spot in cultural consumption, on par with the "Goods Economy", thanks to its immersive content presentation and strong interactivity. It is quietly reshaping the ecological landscape of the live - streaming industry.

As an emerging form of live - streaming, group live - streaming can trace its origin back to the early days of show - style live - streaming. However, its real development started in 2021. Initially, it mainly featured simple dance performances, with rather plain settings, mostly solid - color backgrounds, fixed lighting, and a single camera angle.

This year, group live - streaming has witnessed an explosion. Related topics on Douyin have exceeded one billion views, bringing group live - streaming from the "buzz within the live - streaming circle" to the "public eye". According to the authoritative prediction of the China Association of Performing Arts, the market size of group live - streaming is expected to reach 15 billion RMB in 2025.

Platforms are also increasing their support. In September this year, Douyin Live launched the "High - quality Group Live - streaming Plan". The plan aims to cultivate over 100 high - quality group live - streaming shows that meet industry standards and have content characteristics by the end of 2025 through systematic support measures, build a group live - streaming matrix across multiple verticals, scenarios, and regions, and create a demonstration effect.

The huge market potential has attracted many players, and "Changjing Media", which 36Kr contacted recently, is one of them.

"At first, we were also viewers of group live - streaming, but we always felt that many live - streaming rooms were quite homogeneous," said Li Shuai, the guild leader, to 36Kr. It was the perceived room for improvement in the industry that made him seriously consider "whether to start our own group live - streaming". So, in 2023, "Changjing Media" was established, officially entering the group live - streaming arena.

Without mature experience or an established team, Li Shuai didn't even know where to start at the beginning. After some time of exploration, he gradually found some ways.

In the eyes of many, group live - streaming seems like an easy - to - do form of live - streaming that only requires setting up a phone. However, as Li Shuai said, "It's definitely not just about getting a few talented anchors to stand in front of the camera."

Digging deeper, one will find that the industry is so meticulous that even the number of people matters. As the name suggests, group live - streaming means multiple people performing live shows such as dancing and singing in the same live - streaming room. It may seem that the more people, the livelier it is, which was the misunderstanding that "Changjing Media" initially had.

The company once tried a large - scale team of over 10 people but found that too many people made it difficult to coordinate the formation, and the camera couldn't cover the characteristics of each anchor, making it hard for viewers to remember some anchors.

After multiple adjustments and adaptations, the optimal team size of 7 - 9 people was finally determined. This number can ensure the hierarchy of the dance formation and allow each anchor sufficient camera time, achieving a balance between "collective brilliance and individual shine".

In terms of anchor selection, Changjing Media takes the path of "precise screening". In addition, they have established school - enterprise cooperation with professional art institutions such as Jilin Academy of the Arts. Many anchors come from relevant majors in these institutions. Anchors with a professional background have a more solid foundation in terms of professional skills, such as rhythm control, body coordination, and stage understanding, as well as professional qualities, such as camera sense, cooperation in rehearsals, and respect for the audience. They can also more quickly understand "what group live - streaming needs".

Even when facing candidates with different backgrounds, Changjing Media has a strict "stratified screening" mechanism. Professional dance students need to pass the "live - streaming suitability test" first, such as demonstrating on - camera performance and quickly learning simple interactive scripts. After passing, they will receive one - to - ten - day special training before they can qualify for live - streaming. For amateurs with no foundation, they need to pass the "three - stage assessment": the first stage tests physical form and learning ability to see if they have dance potential; the second stage trains basic movements and interactive skills to observe team - working awareness; the third stage is a simulated live - streaming to assess on - camera stability. Only after passing all stages can they enter the candidate pool for the group.

For the selected anchors, Changjing Media has built a complete training system and formulates "individualized plans" according to each person's characteristics. "We have specially hired professional training teachers with over 5 years of experience in the industry to form a training team, which helps anchors grow from multiple dimensions such as talent, camera sense, and interactive ability," said Li Shuai.

Although anchors are important, 70% of the charm of group live - streaming lies behind the scenes, invisible to the audience.

Different from most companies that "emphasize anchors and neglect the backstage", Changjing Media has taken an unconventional approach: for every 1 front - stage anchor, there are 1.5 back - stage staff, including hosts, camera operators, lighting technicians, and operators, as well as specialized makeup and styling, professional guidance, and clothing support departments.

Camera operation, lighting, and makeup and clothing are the "three pillars" of group live - streaming content presentation. Any flaw in these areas will directly reduce the audience experience.

"If the camera operation fails to keep up with the anchors' performance, the audience won't be able to see the details clearly, and even the best content will be compromised; if the lighting is not adjusted properly, the anchors will look unnatural, and the overall viewing experience will be much worse; if the makeup, styling, and clothing don't match the performance style, the audience will feel a sense of disharmony and have difficulty getting involved."

For camera operation and lighting, which are "technical tasks", Changjing Media doesn't just require the staff to "be able to operate the equipment" but also to "understand the content and be able to cooperate with it". For example, the camera operation team holds a special seminar every week to analyze excellent cases in the industry. It's not about "copying others' techniques" but about deeply analyzing "why this shot can highlight the anchors' advantages" and "how this camera - operating logic can be combined with the presentation rhythm".

After the seminar, the camera operators will adjust the camera - operating plan according to the anchors' presentation styles. They will even communicate with the anchors in advance about "which actions need to be focused on and which angles are most suitable for you" to ensure that every shot is accurate during the live - streaming. The lighting team is the same. They don't "use a fixed lighting plan throughout" but adjust it flexibly according to different live - streaming themes and presentation styles.

The professional guidance department is the "core of content creation". It not only provides daily training for the anchors but also is responsible for the arrangement and innovation of live - streaming content. "After creating the content, the teachers will rehearse with the anchors for 2 - 3 hours a day. During the rehearsal, videos will be recorded, and everyone will watch the playback together to adjust the uniformity of movements, the rationality of the formation, and the expression of emotions."

As the audience's aesthetic standards are rising, "shoddy" group live - streaming is losing its market. After professional troupes such as the Shaanxi Song and Dance Theatre and the Ningbo Yong Opera Troupe entered the market, the industry threshold has been raised. Changjing Media's "meticulous approach" has just adapted to these industry changes.

In the development of Changjing Media, the attempt at brand - building in 2024 became a crucial turning point for the company.

According to Li Shuai's recollection, after doing basic group live - streaming for some time, they started to think about how to make their content more recognizable. "At that time, there were more and more group live - streaming shows in the industry, but many groups didn't have their own characteristics. They would do different types of content on different days, and the audience couldn't remember the core of these groups. So we decided to create an exclusive brand - 'Whale·Chongqing', hoping to create content with a fixed style, cultural connotations, and memorable points to break the deadlock of homogenization."

They spent millions upgrading their equipment: 3 fixed cameras and 1 professional jib to ensure smooth camera switching; over 200 lighting fixtures covering different angles, even meeting the lighting standards of large - scale music variety shows. "We built it according to the standards of a professional stage because we know that traditional - style presentations have high requirements for visual effects. Without proper equipment, even the best content will lose its luster."

Each live - streaming show of "Whale·Chongqing" also has a complete and rigorous creative process. It's not about "what the anchors want to show" but about the whole team planning around "the audience's needs" to ensure that each live - streaming has quality and content.

Before a live - streaming show is presented to the audience, there is a two - week planning stage and a one - week rehearsal stage in advance. On the day before the live - streaming, the whole team will conduct a full - process rehearsal. The camera operation, lighting, makeup and styling, clothing, and audio systems all need to be in place, simulating a real - life live - streaming scenario to ensure that every link is error - free. After the live - streaming, the company will organize the anchors, operators, professional guidance teachers, and technical teams for a comprehensive review.

In terms of commercialization, in addition to live - streaming, commercial performances, and short dramas, Changjing Media will also connect the anchors with offline stage resources, professional competitions, and art exhibitions to make "group live - streaming anchors" no longer a "single - occupation". Next, Changjing Media will try the "live - streaming + offline" model, such as holding offline performances of "Whale·Chongqing".