Peak-shifting or Same-screen? The Manufacturer's Selection of Live-streaming Modes and the Influencer Streamer's Contract Strategy

In the live streaming (LS) environment, there are currently two types of streamers: human influencer streamers and virtual streamers. The time and energy of influencer streamers are limited, making it difficult to meet the audiences’ continuous demand for LS. Therefore, many manufacturers, while collaborating with influencer streamers, have also introduced virtual streamers. The manufacturers have two options: have influencer streamers and virtual streamers appear on the same screen (S-mode), or to arrange them live-stream in different time slots (peak-shifting LS, P-mode). For an influencer streamer, he can choose between different contracts: revenue-sharing contract (RS-contract) and hybrid contract (H-contract). In this paper, we investigate the manufacturer’s choice of LS modes, with considering the influencer streamer’s contract strategies. Our research indicates that the manufacturer’s choice of LS modes depends on the technical cost of virtual live streaming (VLS). Additionally, under the same technical cost, an increase in the platform commission rate will prompt the manufacturer to choose the P-mode, while the growth in the influencer streamer’s traffic will encourage it to choose the S-mode. The influencer streamer’s choice of contracts is influenced by the manufacturer’s LS strategy. The influencer streamer can perform better under either contract, depending on specific conditions.