Chinese Huya and DouYu Cut Hundreds of Staff

Chinese Huya and DouYu Cut Hundreds of Staff
Photo: DNA 26.04.2022 784

Chinese game streaming platforms Huya and DouYu have begun slashing headcounts, Tech Planet reported last week.

The layoffs at Huya and DouYu come amid widespread layoffs at Chinese tech companies caused by tighter restrictions in the gaming streaming industry.

Huya's Nimo TV unit, which launched in 2018 as an international version of the platform, has been most heavily affected with large staff cuts, according to Reuters. The company cut 70 percent of the division's employees. Its domestic business also faced a 20% layoff.

DouYu has reportedly laid off 30% of the overall staff, mostly from gaming business development and livestream agent services. The company said the layoffs are just part of their “normal human resources optimization”.

Huya and DouYu account for a combined 70% of China's game livestreaming market. Huya owns a 40% market share and DouYu 30%.

Last year, digital giant Tencent's plan to merge Huya and DouYu to create a combined $10 billion streaming company was blocked by China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) to avoid "further strengthening Tencent's dominance in the game streaming market." 

In mid-April, Tencent was forced to close its own streaming platform Penguin Esports, which it had planned to include in the failed merged company.

Source: Weixin

digital markets  China 

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