An analysis of Kick streamers in the context of audience loyalty strategies

The transformation of media from traditional to digital has reached an undeniable scale. This quickly changing process is expanding into various dimensions of digital media. Altough, they both essentially require the presence of an audience (consumer) and a broadcaster (producer), despite their many differences. In traditional media, the roles of audience and broadcaster are more clearly delineated and separated; however, these roles are undergoing transformation within the digital media. The aim of this research is to examine the role that parasocial relationships play in developing viewer loyalty on Kick. Which is a new live streaming platform in the digital media industry. The theoretical underpinnings of this relationship are parasocial interaction and loyalty. Therefore, the sutdy aims to invetigate how these kinds of relationships appear in attitudinal and behavioral loyalty among the audience. This study employs two primary techniques for gathering data as part of its qualitative research design First, the live streams of certain selected Kick streamers: Jahrein, Levo, Grimnax, ErenAktan, Zade and Ordekkadin. They were observed through online observation method. Second, semi-structured interviews were conducted among the audience. Intervies were conducted with 8 participants. The broadcasts analyzed identified the pattern of interaction between viewers and streamers as well as the spesific strategies employed by different streamers. They were further interpreted through viewers' eyes gathered through interviews. Finally, the observations were synthesized into a discussion by considering prior research and the strategies that were provided to content creators as a part of Twitch.tv's "Streamer Camp." The results show that letting audience participate in co-creating content, creating common experiences and rituals and fortifying a sense of community are not accidental but rather deliberate strategies employed by streamers within the framework of parasocial relationships. The findings show that factors such as emotional connection, sense of belonging and sincerity play an important role in viewer loyalty. In addition, the personality of the streamer is also observed to be a core motivator of sustaining viewership loyalty. Further factors, such as involvement in broadcasting the viewer, maintained a continuous and predicted flow behavior, and cultivating a social environment also seems to increase loyalty. This study tries to add a new dimension to the academic field by focusing on the Kick platform, unlike Twitch.tv, which is generally discussed in the literature.