The Webcasting Era.docVIP

The Webcasting Era 　　Singing， dancing or chatting with the audience in front of a mobile phone is all that is required to make a decent monthly income nowadays. This occupation， unheard of only two decades ago， is an emerging profession known as Web hosting. 　　Ji Hongchen， a 27-year-old from east China’s Shandong Province， is one of the socalled Web hosts. His daily routine involves broadcasting himself hiking across China on Imeme.tv， a live-streaming website， from when he gets up to when he falls asleep in his tent. 　　He began webcasting several months ago， recording himself cycling across several provinces before transitioning to hiking. “I like outdoor sports and want to share my experiences with more people，” said Ji. 　　“Compared with TV programs which are becoming increasingly mundane today， webcasting represents an emerging industry and has bright prospects，” he added. 　　Ji attracts nearly 20，000 viewers during broadcasting and made over 6，000 yuan （$898） in June. Web hosts earn an income by receiving virtual gifts such as houses， cars and flowers from viewers， which can be exchanged for money on live-streaming sites. Besides virtual gifts， they also earn through conducting e-commerce， selling advertising space or receiving digital cash directly from fans. If the income remains satisfactory， Ji said he will make this his long-term profession. 　　If Web hosts have signed up to an agency， revenue from webcasting will be distributed between hosts， live-streaming sites and the agency. If not， the income will be divided between just two parties， hosts and live-streaming sites. 　　Ji is only one of many who have dabbled in webcasting. In China， both celebrities and ordinary citizens are engaging in the practice. For instance， real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin broadcast himself playing poker on his private jet， and film star Fan Bingbing showed herself participating in Paris Fashion Week. 　　Jiang Yilei， who goes by the online moniker“Papi Jiang，” is currentl