The Future of City Explorer — New Business Model Rollout for 2021 [Opinion]
Will City Explorer become the world’s #1 live streaming platform for news media content in 2021?
In November 2020, City Explorer announced to its “Explorers,” the company’s term for their registered live streamers, a complete business model overhaul. They detailed their change in earnings, streaming goals, and shift toward brick-and-mortar stores.
Summary: This article will share all City Explorer’s announcements regarding these company changes followed by my commentary. I used to be one of their American Explorers. I will sometimes refer to the company as “City Explorer LIVE” since they interchange their name to appear in Google search.
In Fall 2020, I registered as a Livestreamer for City Explorer, a UK-based startup with a mission to live-broadcast across the globe.
All you needed was a mobile device, and you could start live streaming for money right away.
If you need a refresher, click HERE to read my first article that addresses the company’s mission, how to earn money, and more.
In November 2020, weeks after I discontinued live streaming, I received 3 announcements from City Explorer LIVE that went out to all Explorers.
The 1st email, delivered on November 4th, discussed their goal to reach an “average of 50 daily streaming hours” by November 22nd to “[retain] first-time viewers of the platform.”
Although 50 streams per day seem like an extremely low number from a company that registers everyday individuals around the globe to live stream from a mobile phone, I was not surprised because they offered an incredibly low payout to live streamers that resulted in many being unpaid.
I do agree that they need to increase their daily streams. When someone visits the City Explorer homepage, they toggle an interactive globe and click on red dots to enter live streams. More times than not, the globe sits empty. If you visit their website and nobody is live streaming, what makes you want to return?
At this time, City Explorer doesn’t enforce a minimum streaming requirement to stay onboard. They don’t even have a working contract in place.
Towards the end of the email, they acknowledged the difficulty many Explorers face with 2020 lockdowns since “access to the outdoors may be limited.” However, they then said “we still encourage explorers to share their lockdown experience” which could be misinterpreted as City Explorer requesting that you stream from your home, which is a clear violation of their privacy policy. I’ll dismiss this as poor word choice.
On November 9th, my Video Coach sent out a mass text on Whatsapp, an international texting app, announcing a “new business expansion strategy” which requires the team to take a 2-month break. “During this period, [City Explorer] will still keep the platform open to accept streams, but [they] will not be paying you for those streams.”
Their current earnings model was unstable as all Explorers were being underpaid and some worked with no take-home pay because PayPal has a minimum money transfer requirement. The job criteria may be enticing, but the lack of pay will always result in a high turnover rate. (I detail this in my previous article.)
Although I was annoyed that they would even mention live streaming without pay, I was pleased that they let their freelance workers know this ahead of time. (Sad to say not all companies do this.) This has nothing to do with my “work for free” comment in this article’s headline…we will get there.
The 2nd email, delivered on November 24th, introduced their “brand-new scheme” — honestly, I love a good scheme, so I kept reading — which they named “‘LIVE Streaming in Digital Marketing’ (LSDM).”
LSDM is to provide local businesses a chance to build their online presence in a new way by getting featured in Explorers’ live streams. This reminded me of Pokemon GO selling PokeStops to brick-and-mortar stores. It was only a matter of time that these live streams needed to fuse with a market.
There is definite potential in partnering with restaurants that are needing constant exposure to stay in business. Advertising on Facebook is a pricy venture. Their regular Instagram food bloggers are getting bogged down by algorithms.
So of course, restaurants would be open to trying out City Explorer LIVE. But when I view their new ‘Categories’ tab, I cannot find a food-related option.
Your classic small diner may not care to show off their chicken fried steak to the world, but the ‘Top 10 Restaurants in Dallas’ are considered the city’s staple venues. Stroke their ego and they will take a chance on you.
Asian restaurants are likely aware that an audience exists for mukbangs, the South Korean term for eating shows. So, perhaps they may set up a private room for live streamers to get the 5-star treatment?
You know what, I’m trying to be optimistic here!
I wonder how copyright laws apply to the live streams under the ‘Music’ category. But even more important, I want to know who would actually watch that. I skip through every concert Snapchat Story as fast as I can. Nobody wants that noise-abrasive secondhand experience!
City Explorer went on to ask its Explorers to “personally approach local shops, municipalities, event organizers, museums and galleries…to develop a professional relationship which will ultimately result in a partnership between the Explorer, the Client, and City Explorer.”
And on top of that, Explorers should “film in the location specified by the client. Depending on what the client requires, Explorers will stream events or shop/product presentations for anywhere between 10–60 minutes.”
If I’m going to get camera-ready, burn gas to travel to a strip mall X-minutes away, sales pitch every store while offering an on-the-spot 1-hour live stream, I’m going to request under the table cash and pocket 100% of it. I won’t let the name “City Explorer” escape my lips. I’m not being shady; I’m being real.
I signed up for City Explorer to be their on-air talent and not a salesperson. It is ridiculous for the company to think I possess both of these skills. Some Explorers don’t even have either since there is no real interview process!
When it comes to sales, you hear NO! at least 90% of the time. The hours you spend finding new leads and sweet-talking managers are often unpaid efforts. But if a salesperson believes in the quality of their product/service, they keep up the hustle knowing they will make some sales. But with my lack of selling expertise for a dwindling startup, I don’t have any faith that I can turn a single company into a client; but, I would try my hardest for the right compensation.
“What Do Our Explorers Get in Return?”
I reached the most important part of the email. Will they woo me into returning to the pixelated screen? I can be bought…
“Once you have achieved contact and interest from these sources, and passed on the contact details to our London Office, City Explorer will negotiate the terms of any contract made with these organisations/events companies, and you will receive a commission, based on the closure of each deal.”
Side note: For a company based in an English-speaking country, you would think their emails would include appropriate comma placement and fewer run-on sentences. I’ve had to tweak some of these quotes for clarity. Sheesh! Ok, we can continue…
“Explorers will also earn for their time spent LIVE streaming at a rate determined by the contract signed by the clients. City Explorer will always oversee the legalities contracts to ensure…fair retribution for the work, but as a self-earning entity, the project will encourage explorers to be financially determined to the best deals.”
City Explorer wants its live streamers to work ENTIRELY on commission? What happened to their “weekly pot,” which was money set aside for their Explorers? When they cut off streaming payments, did the company or top execs just pocket the money? That weekly pot should be reserved to offer its Explorers a fixed flat rate for their sales efforts — at least while the company builds a reputation.
I want to know how much commission I will receive per deal, even if it’s a range. Any client that signs up for this risky partnership is going to use that as leverage in negotiation to get the best deal. Desperate to build traction, City Explorer may agree to a bad deal and low ball me in the process. Nothing about this makes me feel safe.
The email kept circling back to a virtual presentation that Explorers could sign up for to learn more. I had zero motivation to give the company another hour of my time. They should consider sending another mass email with those details.
How City Explorer Could Improve
City Explorer LIVE has big dreams with even bigger demands. They cast a net too wide upon launch, thinking they could manage and appease freelance workers on a global scale.
It is in the company’s best interest to operate like a dating app. They should open to a few cities at a time, put forth their time to market to that population of people, and then slowly expand. This slow-simmer method gives City Explorer the time to gain press and build hype. Perhaps they can implement waitlists to add glamour to the live streaming position.
I do appreciate how the company wants to appeal to everyday civilians by not requiring them to have a pre-existing social media following. It keeps the content authentic. But the company should consider hiring some vetted live streamers that have a following and/or natural on-camera talent.
Live streamers should be allowed to stream from their homes with a general geotag on certain occasions. A Pennsylvania Christmas is celebrated very differently in Arizona. A 30-minute demonstration that could linger on the homepage for 24 hours could be interesting to a European. This sounds a lot like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, but every social media platform has adopted this feature for a reason.
From what I observed, City Explorer wants to take advantage of American consumerism without understanding our culture. Americans are the most materialistic people around the world. We want big houses, lavish weddings, and enviable closets. But we love our privacy even more. Our public spaces do not have government security cameras like London, UK, or Seoul, Korea. Americans whip out their iPhones to expose people, so they lose their jobs. Nobody wants to be at the gym or out eating or shopping while being filmed. Period.
I can’t offer a solution to please the very-diverse American population, but I think there should be a unique training program for American-based live streamers.
Does City Explorer have a chance to be the world’s #1 live-broadcasting platform in 2021? Yes, they could become a well-known name like Twitch or YouNow for sure as they settle into their journalistic niche. In the era of [seemingly] “fake news,” civilians crave undoctored video content to shine a light on the truth.
But they also need to recognize the job reformation wave as well. People demand a fair wage, especially when the cost of living continues to rise. Freelance work is at an all-time high, which gives the working class options.
The company can keep its LDSM “scheme,” but they need to scrap the framework and respect the live streamers, which are the true backbone of the company.
Have you live-streamed for City Explorer and have an opinion on their rebrand? Sound off in the comments!
