Behind the glory and fame on livestream platforms, the darker side of the streamer profession always exists, with stories of pressure, sacrifices, and even horrific coercion. Recently, the online community erupted over the accusations made by a female streamer. She publicly stated that she was forced by her manager to become a “view slave,” compelled to produce inappropriate and vulgar content to gain notoriety.
The pressure of “view chasing” and shocking accusations
According to the female streamer, she began her livestreaming journey with passion and the hope of building a legitimate career. Initially, everything was wonderful, but after a while, when the viewer count did not grow as expected, the pressure from the company, especially from her direct manager, began to weigh heavily on her.
The manager, a man, continuously pushed her to change her content. He suggested and even coerced her to perform “crazy” actions, wear revealing outfits, and make suggestive gestures and remarks to attract attention.
“Your character is to chase views,”
“After all, you’re chasing views; if you’re not, where will the interactions come from?”
“Those bitches…”
This is one of the lines from a message in a work chat group that several female streamers provided to reporters from Cover News. They stated that these were the everyday remarks they had to hear while working at the MCN streamer company. Moreover, they were required to change their outfits to attract viewers, dance to trending dances, and even had the livestream background music changed to Japanese adult film music without their knowledge.
When someone voiced opposition to the operation methods, the male manager immediately told them to “broaden their minds” and stated: “After all, you’re chasing views; if you’re not, where will the interactions come from?”
The manager exploited the young girls’ lack of experience and desire for fame to profit. They pushed the streamers into wrong paths, disregarding the risks to their image, reputation, and even safety. The victims not only suffered mentally but also risked career destruction if they did not comply.
The “trap” contract and its bizarre terms
Last July, several female college graduates signed contracts with the MCN company to become streamers in the company’s female group. The group members came and went, leaving only 5 members: Xiao Xia and her friends: “3 just graduated, 1 is in her fourth year of university, and the other is 17 years old.”
In April of this year, this group of female streamers was declared dissolved by the MCN company due to poor business performance. The members began searching for new jobs. Shortly after, they each received information about being sued by the company for contract violations and demanded compensation of hundreds of millions of VND from their “old house.”
Accordingly, the contracts that the girls provided to Cover News reporters showed that from the beginning, the company stipulated: If the streamer’s annual income exceeds a certain amount, the contract will automatically renew for a certain number of years. Or if, three months before the contract expires, they do not notify the company in writing about not renewing, the contract will also automatically renew.
After the contract expires, the company has the right of first refusal to renew under the same conditions. Streamers must notify the company in writing about continuing collaboration. Only if the company refuses to renew or does not respond within 60 working days, may the streamer negotiate with a third party. And the collaboration conditions cannot be better than those of the old company.
In this case, the streamer must submit the collaboration proposal with the third party to the old company. The old company has the right to replace the new company signing the contract with the streamer within a certain number of working days after receiving the new proposal, under the same conditions.
When the contract expires, if there are any unpaid earnings or ongoing projects, the contract duration will automatically extend until everything is resolved. During this time, the streamer is not allowed to authorize another organization to take over and must inform the old company of all arising income while splitting income according to the old contract.
Additionally, the contract requires all accounts to belong to the company and stipulates the minimum number of live streams per month, minimum daily streaming duration, quantity and quality of short videos to be uploaded daily, as well as how income is split. If the income from the streamer’s gifts decreases by 30% or more compared to the month with the highest income in two consecutive months, the company may adjust the income split ratio or stop paying income.
The contract is confidential; if the streamer discloses the contract content, they will be fined 500 million VND for breaching the contract. If this penalty is not enough to compensate the company for damages, the streamer must pay additional compensation.
Xiao Xia (a recent graduate) stated that this contract is 9 pages long. She did not read the terms carefully when signing and was subsequently held back by the company until the group disbanded before she could retrieve it. She said: “Now, reading these terms again, I don’t really understand their specific meanings.”
Another student, Xiao Thu (a group member), said she also only got her contract back after the group disbanded and still hasn’t read it thoroughly. Due to not understanding the contract, she had a lawyer review it. The lawyer discovered that the contract was missing the third page, and then obtained the complete contract from the court.
“The lawyer said the contract has implicit restrictive terms, only allowing the company to unilaterally terminate the contract with us, whereas we cannot. Even if declared dissolved, if the company does not agree to terminate the contract in writing and there are still unresolved payment issues, we cannot find new jobs. Even if the contract expires and we want to work for another company, the old company can still claim the right to sign a contract based on the original contract.”
The accusations from the female streamer serve as a valuable warning for young people considering this career path
Fame is not everything: Resorting to any means to become famous may bring quick success, but it is often unsustainable. “Dirty” content may attract immediate views but will soon bore the audience and drive them away.
Be cautious when placing trust: Streamers should thoroughly research the management company and the people they work with. Do not easily heed empty promises and always stand firm, not allowing anyone to pressure them into doing things that go against their personal ethical values.
Protect yourself: Always equip yourself with legal knowledge and know how to protect yourself. If faced with coercion, be brave to speak out and seek help from the community.
According to 163.com