As time goes by, netizens continue to show increasingly valuable collections during join-in sessions, which are far from ordinary, such as the priceless Taotie bronze ware of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, paintings and calligraphy by famous artists worth a fortune, and even funerary items from the tombs of ancient generals. Meanwhile, entertainment elements have become more prevalent in treasure appraisal live streams, with some netizens participating in interactions in a less serious manner.
For instance, a netizen wrapped so-called “artifacts” around a leg encased in stockings during a live stream, requesting an appraisal from the host, which, while increasing the audience, also drew controversy. The content, initially joke-like, has escalated, with some asking the host to identify why their dog looks so melancholic; others make mysterious setups only to reveal Ultraman toys in the end, inquiring about their worth; some even present “ancient jade” Ultraman figures for the host’s appraisal.
These light-hearted segments have lowered the threshold for audiences to understand the live streams, allowing the host to attract fans from different circles. What pushed the host into heated discussions was his accidental “face clash” with a cat. While appraising treasures, the host would often frown and tilt his head in confusion, a look very similar to the “doubtful cat” meme circulating on the internet. It was said that this cat once ate cat food contaminated with bird droppings and since then has refused to eat food that’s been on the ground for more than five seconds, earning the nickname “Fresh Brother” from netizens.
Quick-witted netizens combined the two images, creating the “Listening Cat” meme that blended the host’s traits, which quickly went viral. Amidst the funny imitations and revelry, the host’s live room traffic skyrocketed, successfully breaking through established circle boundaries. According to the latest data, in early this year, “Listening Spring Treasure Appraisal” had less than 3 million followers, but that number doubled in less than a month, and by mid-February had surpassed the 6 million mark. The latest topic views have exceeded 3.2 billion, with related accounts gaining over 6.3 million fans across various platforms in three months.
Besides fame and profits from live streaming, the joint broadcast model has also blown into the fields of wenwan and antiques, where it’s widely known that the industry is tricky, with significant information asymmetry in transactions. A major function of treasure appraisal live broadcasts is to help reduce this asymmetry. In the host’s live room, many viewers own antique treasures and hope for transactions but are unfamiliar with market prices; they turn to the hosts for pricing assistance.
The host’s main account, “Listening Spring for Treasures,” plays the role of “public welfare appraisal,” while subsidiary accounts handle the traffic and clues. The host once made clear that if a join-in viewer intends to trade artifacts, they can contact “Guo Bowen,” a name seemingly hinting at his closely related minor account “National Treasure Shop.” According to public information, the business associated with “Listening Spring for Treasures” has state-owned qualifications and dabbles in auctions, appraisals, acquisitions, investments, among other fields. This account has over 1.65 million followers, and sales in the shop, including ancient coins, have exceeded 5376, with estimated sales nearing 500,000 yuan in the last six months.
Inspired by “Listening to the Spring to Identify Treasures,” anchors like “Daily Treasure Identification” and “Zixuan Identifies Treasures” have also gained popularity through live streaming their treasure identification. Nowadays, an increasing number of treasure appraisal streamers are starting to adopt similar methods to increase their fan base. The content of such streams is relatively simple, primarily providing surprises and a sense of conflict through interaction with viewers, with the streamers’ expertise and unique presentation becoming their core competitive advantages.
The key factor for becoming a top-tier account is combining entertainment with professionalism, maintaining both entertaining and expert appraisal abilities. These new types of streamers hold dual attributes of “entertaining activity” and professionalism, with the former often taking a more significant proportion.
Through in-depth market exploration, we have identified that these top-tier accounts mainly monetize in two ways: first, by collecting and reselling trade information of antiques, jewelry, and other collectibles; second, by using live streaming platforms for product sales. Take “Haidong Treasure Appraisal Jewelry Selection” for example; it has attracted over 4.5 million followers by appraising jewelry live and has realized over 180,000 in sales through the sale of bracelets and related products on e-commerce platforms.
Statistical data shows that this account has conducted more than 337 live streams in the past six months, with an estimated sales volume exceeding 50 million yuan. When searching for “treasure appraisal,” one can find over 600 related accounts, among which there are 12 with more than a million followers, while accounts with less than 100,000 followers account for 85% of the total. This indicates that top-tier treasure appraisal accounts are still relatively scarce in the market, suggesting significant potential for creators to increase traffic.
When it comes to innovation in co-streaming live, it’s important to combine “entertainment” during the streaming with monetization. For instance, Zhang Dada gained 4.75 million followers rapidly through live co-streaming, successfully creating an image of “entertainment circle connections.” In the legal field, “Dragon Fly Lawyer” and “Lawyer Old Han” have both achieved the growth of a million followers in a single month by providing legal consultations via live co-streaming, transitioning from average individuals to internet-famous lawyers.
From the legal realm, the entertainment industry, to the circle of antiques and collectibles, these creators have essentially transformed co-streaming live into a variety show format. The trend has now swept through the treasure appraisal world, and we eagerly anticipate which areas live co-streaming will make waves in next.
