BonkBeLive, a new live streaming app, is due to launch in early 2018. Beta testers around the world had already voted it the best application of 2018. Its makers say it will take live video and user-generated content somewhere new. That is because it bundles gifts, filters and a simple interface into one package.
The main difference from rival apps is the money model. Bonk Be Live uses paid advertising in a way that resembles free television. Streamers earn a share of the ad revenue, while viewers get discounts and offers on major brands. Since the ads go straight to consumers, they can match each viewer’s interests. They can also lead to an instant online purchase.
Influencers first
The company has teamed up with The Sociable Society, a social influencer agency. As part of the deal, the agency will run the Bonk Be Live Influencer Program. Under the plan, big social media names will post daily content and host weekly shows on the app. They will also give fans a real-time look into their lives.
The deal was signed in December 2017. That month, executives of Boink Live Streaming Corp agreed a master service agreement with the agency. According to the company, it now has a list of more than 700 major influencers, superstars, singers and actors. Since the list is long, only the strongest of them will be picked to stream daily and weekly content. Together, these stars have hundreds of millions of followers.
The app will also link social media personalities with brands. As a result, advertisers can run direct campaigns aimed at niche audiences. The company expects trusted storytellers to shape buying behavior. In turn, that should bring in large revenue from ad sales and services.
John Lamb is CEO of Boink Live Streaming, the holding company behind the app. He called it an exciting moment ahead of the U.S. launch. In his words, the technology mixes online entertainment with direct sales and ad revenue for streamers. That kind of income has not yet appeared in live streaming, he added. So people on both sides of the camera can earn money doing what they enjoy.
Greg Gifford leads the program together with The Sociable Society. He is Executive Vice President of Boink Live Streaming in the United States. The goal is to bring celebrities onto the platform, which should lift downloads and build an engaged U.S. audience. Jay Kent-Hume, Co-Founder of The Sociable Society, expects some of the biggest U.S. stars to join as early adopters. He predicted a big year for the app.
Growth targets
Lamb said the team knew it had something huge when over 100 tech companies began writing about it. He added that the company has pro formas and direct contracts to reach 30 million subscribers by June 2018. Daniel Skulnick, marketing director for the Philippines, put an enterprise value of $35 on each user. With 30 million users, he said, shareholders would share in a billion-dollar company. Josh Flynn, a director at the firm, said rival apps would have no chance once the final version is out.
Imagically is the lead developer and manages the tech firms and builders behind the app. Two staff members lead the technical side and web design. They are Rayan Calderon from the Philippines and Ukraine-born Julia Pashko.
Boink Live Streaming Corporation was set up in Romania and is based in the Philippines. It has offices in Ukraine, Indonesia, Dubai and now the United States. It is the parent of Bonk Live and of the new Bonk Be Live platform. There, users can broadcast themselves and follow their favorite stars. They can also get paid for promoting brands while they stream.
The Sociable Society was founded in Los Angeles in 2015. It works with influencers in Canada and the United States. The agency helps brands reach creators whose fans trust their advice.
