Middle-aged and elderly group broadcast, a "new variant" of show live broadcast

At the beginning, everyone thought that the boy band of Coco Tree was just playing a meme; later, when the group broadcast started, everyone just watched it for fun; now, even middle-aged and elderly people have started group broadcasts, and this way of live broadcasting seems to have become a new trend.

1 enthusiastic live broadcast room, 4-5 enthusiastic aunts in tight and gorgeous performance costumes, accompanied by the "brainwashing and addictive" music beats, they took turns to perform Yingtai Dance, Rice Planting Dance, Money Grabbing Dance, Motorcycle Dance, Subject Ten... The peak number of viewers in the live broadcast room exceeded 10,000!

Hot comments from netizens: Thousands of people watched the aunt dance, even the older girls would admit defeat!

"You're not really my aunt! You look so flexible in dancing that I thought you were a college student in disguise!"

"Aunts in their fifties and sixties are full of energy, while we in our twenties are limp in the house."

"Retire and enjoy life, while dancing and making money at the same time"

We can't help but sigh that the live broadcast rooms that once belonged to young people are gradually being occupied by middle-aged and elderly people. The middle-aged and elderly actively participate in the show group broadcast, and successfully enter this track full of temptation and competition with enthusiasm and performance.

01 The "hot" scenery on the group broadcast track

Let’s talk about group broadcast first. In short, it means multiple hosts performing on the same stage.

At the beginning, it was a live broadcast format with a group of young men and women, plus a host to control the scene and create a warm atmosphere. However, as early as the live broadcast of shows on platforms such as Huya and Douyu, it has gradually entered the public eye.

Image source network

From live PK to collective performances by girl and boy groups, the content format of group broadcasts has been optimized, which is the evolution of show live broadcasts. The diverse labels of talents such as cute girl groups, handsome boy groups, ancient style groups, and two-dimensional groups enrich the live broadcast ecosystem.

In fact, group broadcasting is not new. It has existed since the early days when show live broadcasting was popular. It can also be said that group broadcasting is the latest iteration of show live broadcasting.

As early as 2022, the account "Cloud Dad" quickly became popular. A group of middle-aged uncles from Changshu danced awkwardly throughout the live broadcast room, sweeping their legs, doing horse stances, showing off their boxing and kicking, and displaying their talents. They quickly became popular with humorous and funny expressions and body language and became the most popular dad group on the entire Internet.

Image source network

The sales of middle-aged and elderly men's clothing sold by "Yunbaba" through live broadcasts also soared after the social platform became popular. According to the live broadcast data at the time, the cumulative number of viewers for 41 live broadcasts in one month reached 38.217 million, and the cumulative sales reached 12.6 million yuan.

It is this new form of group broadcasting that has encouraged more middle-aged and elderly people to join the live broadcast army.

Uncles and aunts performed in the live broadcast room. They attracted the audience with their non-standard and somewhat funny dance moves, infected netizens with their enthusiasm and vitality, and brought joy and emotional value to the audience of all ages.

Image source: Tik Tok screenshot

@阿姨女团 This middle-aged and elderly group that has quickly become popular on the Internet is called @阿姨女团. There are five aunties in their forties and fifties in the live broadcast room. They perform their talents in the live broadcast room in turn: Yingtai Dance, Rice Planting Dance, Money Grabbing Dance, Motorcycle Dance, Subject Ten... However, the order of performances is decided by the audience. The audience chooses dancers by giving gifts, sending hearts, and voting. They can also replace new performers at any time, and the performance forms are more diverse, including solo performances by the aunties, individual solo dances, duets, and group dance performances.

Image source network

"The dance continues, now please welcome the Eighth Princess," the controller of the live broadcast room introduced while broadcasting. The aunts finished a dance one after another and returned to the team. The main dance style of this team of aunts is folk dance.

The aunts’ rankings and PK results are determined by tips from the audience, and the atmosphere is no less than that of the group live broadcast room of young people.

Some netizens commented that "Aunties are at a good age to venture out", which undoubtedly gives middle-aged and elderly people motivation and courage.

This is a reflection of the middle-aged and elderly people's pursuit of new ways of socializing and spiritual enjoyment, and it also reflects the market's attention to their needs.

02 Group broadcasts by middle-aged and elderly people attract users’ shopping carts

As the middle-aged and elderly groups use the Internet more and more frequently, their pursuit of emotions and life needs have made the market realize that they are not only content creators and participants, but also influencing a large consumer group.

Group broadcasts by middle-aged and elderly people also provide a huge market for businesses, generating commercial and social value.

Image source: Tik Tok screenshot

"Auntie, Auntie, I'm a peddler. I came to sell goods today, and you just happened to pass by. It's only 9.9 yuan, free shipping." Recently, several aunties in Jinan, Shandong, used jingle-like language, two people in a group, lined up in front of the camera to sell goods, and used rich expressions and actions to start group live broadcasts to sell goods and quickly became popular.

The video and screen recording of the live broadcast process attracted netizens to reshoot, and one netizen said, "I was controlled for half an hour until the end of the broadcast, and it kept repeating in my mind endlessly."

The reason why this novel group live broadcasting method of selling goods has become popular quickly is that in addition to the aunties' funny and thick accents, the catchy slogans of selling goods have aroused the interest of the audience. What they lack is the audience group, whether it is the middle-aged or young audience...

Although some viewers may have been attracted by the funny scenes at first, they gradually became regular viewers and even joined the ranks of giving rewards.

The live broadcast room not only allows the middle-aged and elderly groups to fully display themselves, but also becomes a social place for them to communicate with the audience.

Many aunties are confident, cheerful and lively in live broadcasts, which is exactly what they pursue in life and their definition of happiness. They show their talents, read comments and interact with the audience in group broadcasts, and at the same time they get great satisfaction.

The group broadcast of middle-aged and elderly people has formed a good virtual community and promoted consumption. They actively share brands and recommend products in the small yellow car, becoming a down-to-earth member of live broadcasting. Under the influence of the group broadcast of middle-aged and elderly people, snacks, plus-size women's clothing and other products have become hot-selling. "Plus-size women's clothing for people over 50 is really good to sell," an e-commerce practitioner shared her friend's experience. The employees are only one designer, two pattern makers, one customer service, plus the boss's live broadcast and central control, and they make millions of yuan in profits every year.

03 Platforms have joined the competition for the middle-aged and elderly groups

The middle-aged and elderly groups who are gradually getting used to online shopping are no less sluggish than the young people in terms of consumption. Nowadays, the middle-aged and elderly group broadcasting groups are not only closely watched by merchants, but also "hard-core" targeted by platforms.

According to the 2023 Silver Economy Insight Report released by QuestMobile, most of the elderly have entered retirement, and long and short videos and comprehensive news and information platforms have become their first choice for leisure and entertainment.

In September 2023, the proportion of seniors among users watching live broadcasts on Douyin and Kuaishou increased significantly compared with the same period of the previous year.

JD.com's "2024 Silver Consumption Report" also shows that from January to September 2024, the number of online transaction orders, number of shopping users, and transaction amount of the seniors increased by 238%, 187%, and 105% respectively compared with the same period in 2019; from basic food and clothing, household cleaning and personal care, to new technological trends such as digital devices and home appliances, to service consumption such as housekeeping and cleaning, moving and freight, the shopping variety of the seniors is becoming more abundant and their consumption structure is constantly upgrading.

Image source: JD.com 2024 Silver Generation Consumption Report

Faced with the middle-aged and elderly groups whose consumption power is gradually showing, major content platforms are also accelerating their layout. For example, Douyin and Kuaishou platforms are constantly increasing their live broadcasts and short dramas for the middle-aged and elderly.

Image source network

Although Douyin and Kuaishou, two major short video platforms, are currently in the first echelon of the short drama market, other platforms are also striving to seize opportunities. For example, Youku launched a customized theater for the elderly, the Silver Hair Theater.

It is worth noting that the video account platform, which already has a high proportion of middle-aged and elderly people, is also tapping into the traffic of this group.

According to the True Story Research Room, recently, childhood memories and screen male gods have been re-employed in video live broadcast rooms, such as the fourth prince He Shengming, Xiao Jian Gao Ziqi in "New My Fair Princess", etc. They will post emotional topics in short videos and then enter the live broadcast room to realize them.

Image source: Video account screenshot

04 The integration of new culture and new business

The popularity of social networks has made group broadcasts for middle-aged and elderly people a way to explore entertainment that suits them, injecting new culture and vitality into live broadcasts. Throughout the process, they have found a channel for self-display and self-expression, and have also given life a more positive meaning.

Not only in the online but also offline consumption market, the middle-aged and elderly groups have gradually occupied an important position in the consumer market by virtue of their large population, more leisure time, strong spiritual needs and strong consumption capacity.

According to statistics, middle-aged and elderly consumers account for nearly 40% of the country's tourists. There are also some consumers whose travel needs have not been put on the development agenda. For suppliers, stimulating their willingness is the expansion of marketing.

In the future, the content of group broadcasts for middle-aged and elderly people will be richer, and the market structure will also undergo major changes in this field. The e-commerce industry is actively adjusting its strategies and striving to seize the market and the hearts of consumers; major content platforms are also accelerating the production of content suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, and the group broadcast format for middle-aged and elderly people is opening the door to the integration of new culture and new business.

The group broadcast of middle-aged and elderly people fills their lives with surprises and fun, and brings care and warmth. This new form of live broadcast also provides a lot of opportunities, while reminding us to continue to pay attention to this special group.