Pakistani startup, StreamKar, wants to be the ultimate destination for local talent

The future of live streaming looks bright. With the push from social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube, thousands of people are live streaming their lives on the internet. A couple of years ago, the idea of live streaming was exclusive to internet celebrities, actors, show hosts etc. But with the wide accessibility of this feature to normal users like me, people are embracing this idea and welcoming it into their lives.

What is StreamKar?

Now Facebook, YouTube and even Periscope are great tools for live-streaming but there is no direct way of monetization of these service. A couple of days ago, I came across StreamKar, a local website for live streaming of videos. Naturally, I was curious to know more about it. Through the website, anybody on the internet can start streaming live videos and make their channels. If you have anything to show to the world, this platform is for you. StreamKar will make sure that you build a solid fan base. That isn’t it, you might get a chance to earn a few bucks while doing all of this.

How does it work?

Primarily targeted to millennials on Android, StreamKar is hoping to lure a huge chunk of mobile users owing to monetization and access to huge crowd which is hungry for new talent.

Firstly, you will need to make an account on the website. As soon as your account is ready, you need to activate it by requesting to become a talent. After approval, the option to go online will be made available to you. Go online, live stream and show-case your talent. Develop a fan-base.

Earning through live streaming

Your fans can like you and show their love by sending you the gifts. But guess what, you can redeem those gifts for some quick cash. As you go on and develop your audience, the chances to earn more money also rise. The gifts which are available on the website have different value. And as the StreamKar website claims that they will prove to be a central aspect, if not the central aspect, of your overall experience at StreamKar. Gifts can worth anywhere between 50 tk to 5,000,000 tk. The virtual money of StreamKar is tk. You can trade your real world money for some tk coins which then can be traded for gifts.

The money you earn can rise significantly if you join an “Agency”. What is an agency? Well, an “Agency” on StreamKar is a talent hunting agency. The organization that will manage and promote a talent. The agency will try its best to increase your viewership and in return ask for a percentage of your gift’s earning. You’ll be getting promotions, marketing, support, management and with increased viewership, increased earning. Many agencies are available on the website and you can join any agency seamlessly through the website.

And then there is a “Talent of the Month” award which is decided by two factors, the number of viewers a talent gets and the quality of the content. Along with a cash prize, the “Talent of the Month” award will also get you featured on the homepage of the website.

A Promising Future

Live Streaming is definitely one of the quickest ways to connect with one’s audience. It is real-time and has the ability to reach millions. Realizing the potential of this utility, major IT brands already have jumped into the arena. The notable ones are the Facebook Live and the Twitter Periscope. An interesting scenario arose when the Turkish President’s live stream (sort of) saved the country from falling for the coup.

While StreamKar, seems like a great start but initially due to limited user base, the platform will have to rely on talent on its website to get more conversions. Once, the viewership and retention rate increases, it will help many new upcoming talented people who are hoping to reach out to new following. Additionally, with Facebook Live streaming becoming more prevalent, the only reason people might use StreamKar is the monetary aspect. Otherwise, Facebook already have billion users and there is no barrier to entry through live streaming there.

The platform is currently getting over 1200 visitors a day. A good number since it is only 3 months old. Farhan Nadeem, cofounder of the product is specially excited about the applications of live streaming, “The opportunities are endless. In future, at one side, I am seeing television shows being live-streamed at our platform. Whereas, on the other hand, I am also seeing it as a platform for imparting education.”

StreamKar, in essence, is a tool. The more users it will have, the more uniquely people will utilize it. A doctor, a teacher, a singer, a musician, a comedian — all can get something out of StreamKar platform.