The Impact of Audience Numbers on Tipping Behavior in User-Generated Live Streaming

With the rise of entertainment live streaming, live streaming companies are seeking ways to encourage user payments and boost corporate performance through social media. This article examines the impact of audience numbers on user tipping behavior in a user-generated live streaming model, using data from 1000 rooms in an online music community over a two-month period. The research shows that the number of viewers in the live room has an inverted U-shaped effect on user tipping behavior, whereby tipping frequency increases with audience numbers up to a certain point, and then begins to decline. Interestingly, the streamer’s level of prior interaction and followee count moderates the relationship between audience numbers and tipping behavior. Higher levels of previous interactions and a larger followee count tend to dampen the inverted U-shaped effect, suggesting that more engaged or popular streamers may influence tipping behavior differently. This study not only enriches the theoretical literature on user-generated live streaming but also has practical implications for live streaming companies.