Seoul became a hub for the global livestreaming community for one night as Bigo Live held its annual awards ceremony, Bigo Awards Gala, on Friday, at KBS Hall in Yeouido, western Seoul.
The event brought together some 1,500 creators and influencers from 32 countries, with performances, awards and interactive segments livestreamed simultaneously through the Bigo Live platform.
Hosted by Bigo Live Singapore Global Headquarters and organized by Korean media content company Starintv, the Seoul edition marked the first time the gala was held in South Korea, following previous iterations in cities such as Dubai, Las Vegas and Singapore.
According to organizers, concurrent viewership for the two-hour gala peaked at approximately 630,000 users from around 150 countries, highlighting the platform’s global reach.
Awards were presented across regional and global categories, recognizing top hosts, creator families and agencies active on the platform.
Major awards handed out on Friday included regional top awards, recognizing leading hosts and creator groups across different countries, followed by continental top awards and global top awards honoring standout creators and agencies on the platform. The global top family and global top tycoon awards highlighted individuals and groups with the highest levels of global engagement.
The Bigo Awards Gala was designed as a hybrid event combining an in-person show with real-time global participation. Viewers across multiple regions were able to take part by not only watching the ceremony live through Bigo Live, but also through live voting and interactive features embedded within the platform.
Interactive segments such as live dance challenges, real-time voting through Bigo Live’s “Votebox” system and prize draws were incorporated to connect on-site attendees with viewers watching online.
Organizers said these participation features were designed to reflect how livestreaming platforms operate as interactive communities rather than passive viewing spaces.
“The structure itself is fundamentally different,” said Ahn Sung-ho, CEO of Starintv. “This isn’t just about watching an awards ceremony. The audience reacts, votes and participates in real time, which is core to how livestreaming platforms operate.”
The Bigo Awards Gala was hosted by K-pop star Se7en and broadcaster Olivia IH, and featured strong performances by girl groups Fifty Fifty and TripleS.
Other performances throughout the evening featured creators and artists from various regions, including Vietnam, France, Indonesia, Japan and the Middle East, underscoring the event’s multinational lineup.
When asked how Seoul was selected to host the ceremony, Ahn called the city a worthy testing ground for content designed to reach global audiences simultaneously.
“Seoul already functions as a global hub for content creation. It has the infrastructure, the creator ecosystem, and an audience that is highly responsive to new formats,” said the Starintv CEO.
“From a platform perspective, it’s a market where new ideas can be tested and expanded globally. At the same time, the gala shows how Korean production expertise can be applied to platform-based global events.”
Ahn added that for Bigo Live, the Seoul gala served as an opportunity “to demonstrate how its creator ecosystem functions across borders,” while also serving as an opportunity for local organizers to “test large-scale, platform-driven productions” in Korea.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
