More positive comment valence does not always correspond to more gifts: Different behavioral patterns of free and paid gifts in sports live streaming

Gift behavior in sports live streaming does not increase synchronously as comment language becomes more positive. Based on 12,427 live-interaction records from five badminton finals of China's 15th National Games in 2025, this study examines at the minute level the relationships among comment valence, event phases, and free and paid gifts, with 4105 free-gift items and 282 paid-gift items counted in total. The results show that, in the primary model, more positive concurrent comment valence is associated with more free-gift items, but this relationship becomes weaker after further controlling for commenting activity; in contrast, neither the overall count nor the occurrence of paid gifts shows a significant relationship with comment valence. Paid gifts show an overall difference across event phases, with the periods around the completion of straight-game matches showing the clearest pattern, whereas the estimates around the completion of deciding-game matches are relatively unstable. Further analysis finds that, among minutes in which paid gifts have occurred, more positive comment valence is associated with more paid-gift items. Overall, although free and paid gifts occur during the same live-streaming process, they show result patterns that are not fully consistent in relation to comment valence and match progression. These relationships reflect minute-level behavioral changes in the livestream rather than a direct conversion from commenting to gifting by individual viewers.