Why do female audiences subscribe to these types of streamers? An empirical study on the motivations of Chinese Huya users

Abstract

The Chinese live-streaming economy is growing at an accelerated pace among young audiences, but the motivations underlying female users lack academic research. Adopting a mixed approach, this study applies the Uses and Gratification Theory to explain the subscription behavior based on the Chinese live-streaming platform Huya. Through research data collected from online communities (n = 202), female audiences’ preferences for streamers has been revealed. Findings show that speech style, humor, and streaming quality are the most prominent attributes, while some results such as excellent mastery of skills, physical appearance, and voice are contrary to previous studies with predominantly male participation. The theoretical and methodological implications of these findings and this approach are discussed. Accordingly, the research gives recommendations to streamers and live-streaming platforms for user growth and maintenance.