Yubo

As the global Eurovision phenomenon continues, live social discovery app Yubo recently highlighted a shift in Gen Z viewership and engagement. This change is especially evident in the Eurovision Song Contest’s Semi-Final and Grand Finale events. Yubo’s May 2023 poll of its UK Gen Z customer base revealed that this generation is less likely to watch the contest on television this year. However, these Gen Zers will still be in the know, as they’ll mine social media for the event results and audience reactions.

Snapshot of Yubo’s UK Gen Z Eurovision Poll

Yubo’s Eurovision poll, which took place on April 28, 2023, included 1,314 UK teenagers and young adults. Aged 13 to 25, these anonymous respondents mirrored Yubo’s Gen Z user base. For perspective, Yubo counts more than 60 million Gen Z users across the globe.

Evolution of the UK Eurovision Viewership Trends

Yubo’s poll delved into the relationship the UK’s Gen Zers have historically had with the Eurovision Song Contest. Growing up, a full 28 percent of respondents watched the competition with their families.

More recently, however, 21 percent of respondents have chosen to experience Eurovision via social media rather than television. The 2023 Eurovision social media viewership will be even higher, with 29 percent of poll respondents preferring these high-tech digital platforms.

The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest Takes Center Stage

As UK viewers’ excitement built to a fevered pitch, the City of Liverpool hosted the Eurovision 2023 Grand Finale on Saturday, May 13. Set at the waterfront M&S Bank Arena, the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is the first one to take place in the UK in 25 years.

This year, the UK will host the Eurovision Grand Finale on behalf of Ukraine, the 2022 Eurovision winners. As always, Eurovision tickets are highly sought-after commodities. Only seven percent of poll respondents have managed to snag the highly coveted 2023 Grand Finale tickets. Other Eurovision fans will be relegated to viewing the contest on television or via a paid streaming service. Otherwise, they’ll be jumping on social media for regular updates.

For perspective, the UK’s Eurovision appearances have stretched back to 1957. A UK contestant has won the Eurovision Song Contest five times and has claimed the No. 2 spot 16 times.

Poll Participants’ Predictions on a UK Winner

Not surprisingly, many Yubo Eurovision Poll respondents hoped that a UK contestant would emerge victorious in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. However, only 23 percent of respondents thought a UK contestant would actually win this year’s competition.

Livestreaming Services Make Eurovision a “Boundaryless Event”

Thanks to recent technology advancements, digitally savvy Eurovision fans can now stream this iconic song contest from across the globe. Streaming services in multiple countries livestreamed the Eurovision Semi-Final and Grand Finale events for subscribers. Viewers could watch artists’ and groups’ performances via television, computer, phone, or tablet.

Marie Marchand, Yubo’s Community Lead, highlighted the significance of this and other “boundaryless events” that viewers can stream from virtually anywhere. “Gen Z is ushering in a new, boundaryless type of event: one they can watch wherever they are, whenever and however they want to watch.

“This is something that is becoming more and more evident for Gen Z, as people tune in to stream Taylor Swift’s Eras tour from their phone on the other side of the world, react to Met Gala outfits in real-time or, in this case, the antics of Eurovision on home soil for the first time in 25 years,” she remarked.

What’s Driving the Growth in Livestreaming Events

The COVID-19 pandemic helped to accelerate the global digital technology adoption already underway. Millions of bored, locked-down consumers turned to their phones and other digital devices for shopping and entertainment. Live event streaming also began to take off during this period. Today, this innovative broadcast method continues to enjoy impressive growth in the global marketplace.

In 2023, live event streaming isn’t limited to streaming service providers. Forward-thinking companies are debuting their own live event content on livestreaming platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. Regardless of the venue, viewers overwhelmingly prefer live content to on-demand content.

Perhaps most importantly, live event streaming is a powerful way to connect with an audience. The interactive nature of the engagement helps to build a mutually beneficial relationship between the brand and the viewer.

About Yubo

Paris-based Yubo is a live social discovery app that continues its global growth. Launched in 2015, Yubo is geared to the rapidly expanding Gen Z market. Currently, Yubo counts over 60 million users in 140 countries.

The simple-to-use Yubo platform makes it easy to connect with same-aged users from across the globe. It gives young people a space to chat, livestream, and play games with users who share their interests.

Perhaps most importantly, Yubo’s industry-leading 100 percent Age Verification System ensures that users are placed into same-aged groups. This methodology enables more authentic communication and helps to ensure that prevent bots and bad actors from accessing the platform.

How Yubo Differs from Other Social Media Platforms

Yubo’s remarkable user growth likely stems from its key interactive features. Most social media platforms contain never-ending content feeds and news. The platforms also target their uses with ads as they try to view the content they want.

Many platforms’ user communities typically consist of already-known family and friends. This makes it difficult to meet people outside of a user’s existing social circle. And finally, most platforms typically focus on “likes” and “follows.” This structure fosters a culture of performance, competition and inauthenticity.

In contrast, Yubo emphasizes authentic communication. As a live social discovery platform, it doesn’t use “likes” or “follows” and is based on connection instead of content. Instead, Yubo encourages users to interact just as they would in their everyday lives.

Finally, Yubo’s diverse features encourage fun social sharing between same-aged users from different cultures and countries. In other words, young users find plenty of opportunities to make new friends.

Yubo’s Engaging Livestreams Bring Multiple Users Together

Yubo’s wildly popular livestreams (or “Lives”) combine the best of livestreaming technology with sheer good fun. During each Live, one to 10 people can stream at once, and an unlimited audience can view each livestream. Audiences can select a Live based on their interests, country, or language. Every day, users have a wide range of livestreams from which to choose.

livestreaming users often share the events of the day with other Gen Zers from around the world. Streamers share their talents or tell funny stories, all delivered person-to-person with no ads to tarnish the experience. Simply put, Yubo Lives combine the latest in digital technology with seamless person-to-person communication.

Industry-Leading Livestream Moderation is a Game-Changer

Since Yubo first launched its platform’s livestreams, the company has taken steps to ensure Gen Zers can safely participate in the Live of their choice. In fact, Yubo is the world’s first major social media platform to institute real-time video and audio livestream moderation (and targeted intervention) in livestreams.

The process begins when Yubo’s artificial intelligence (or AI) filters snap and analyze second-to-second screenshots. If the filter notes potentially harmful or inappropriate content, a human Yubo Safety Specialist steps in to address and resolve the issue.

Eurovision 2023 Celebrates the Blending of Technology and Performance

With the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Finale, interactive digital technology offers up a boundaryless event for users across the globe. Yubo’s innovative digital platform, anchored by its signature livestreams, brings users engaging interactive events virtually every hour of the day.