Designer's shows on Bigo Live like TV schedule

Mr Freddy Lim has amassed more than 80,000 followers on Bigo Live.
Mr Freddy Lim has amassed more than 80,000 followers on Bigo Live. PHOTO: BIGO LIVE/FREDDY LIM

About 3,000 people tuned in to watch designer Freddy Lim get his hair done earlier this week - a three-hour session which Mr Lim streamed on the spot on Bigo Live.

This is a far cry from what he started off doing six months ago when he first joined the platform, where he streamed himself beat- boxing and sampling music.

Now, he has amassed more than 80,000 followers, who receive an update every time he goes live.

He streams almost every day now and has a variety of shows that changes each day - "almost like a TV channel schedule", said Mr Lim, who is in his 20s. There's cooking Wednesday, in which he tries his hand in the kitchen, and adventure Saturday, where he streams himself doing an outdoor activity.

"I try to do more things to appeal to my viewers, and to keep things fun and interesting," he said.

There are about 400 viewers at any point in time during his streams, which can last anywhere between one and three hours.

Mr Lim usually has 3,000 viewers for each three-hour stream.

So far, he has cashed in about $4,000 from the gifts his viewers sent him and from ranking incentives, by being one of the top 10 streamers in Singapore.

His performing in front of his phone's camera is not a one-way thing, either. He often replies to his viewers who chat with him in real time as he streams.

"There must be a balance between purely entertaining my viewers and also engaging them by answering their questions and talking to them," he said.

Lester Hio

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 26, 2017, with the headline Designer's shows on Bigo Live like TV schedule. Subscribe