Nimo TV Türkiye

What did it do?

Nimo TV was the international live-streaming platform of Huya, the Chinese game-streaming company, and it launched its Turkish operations in February 2020 at the Gaming İstanbul event. The platform brought streamers, esports teams and viewers together, particularly around mobile games such as PUBG Mobile, and offered streamers prize tournaments and contracts. Within a short time it had signed some of Turkey's best-known gaming streamers.

Why did it shut down?

The decision to close had more to do with the parent company's global priorities than with performance in Turkey; according to a statement by Jahrein reported by Webtekno, streamers learned of the decision the same day and did not know the reason. According to Streams Charts, Huya had been hit by measures such as the Chinese government's restrictions on gaming and streaming time for under-18s, and its investor Tencent had pulled back from funding Nimo TV, the international project. In April 2022 Nimo TV decided to end operations in 14 countries, including Brazil and Turkey. By way of interpretation, the model, which tried to catch up with rivals such as Twitch by handing out prizes and contracts to streamers, depended on continuous funding from the parent company. Once that support was cut off, rapid growth in Turkey was not enough to keep the platform alive.

The story

Nimo TV was the international brand of Huya, one of China's leading game-streaming platforms. Huya, in which Tencent was a major shareholder, used Nimo TV to try to gather mobile gaming streamers in markets such as Brazil and Indonesia. In February 2020 it was Turkey's turn. As Fintechtime reported, the platform launched its Turkish operations at the Gaming İstanbul event. Its chief executive, Fee Liu, described Turkey as one of its most important markets and said it would invest heavily throughout 2020. The plan was streamer training, contracts with professional teams, tournaments and bringing well-known streamers onto the platform.

The first year moved fast. According to 2020 figures reported by Pikselog, the platform reached 800,000 concurrent viewers in Turkey, PUBG Mobile was the most-watched game, and more than 20 million TL in prizes was paid out to streamers over the year. The follower count of Mezarcı, the streamer at the top of the list, passed 1 million. Jay Pu, head of Nimo TV Turkey, set the goal for 2021 as becoming Turkey's largest streaming platform. In January 2022 Jahrein, one of the country's best-known streamers, also began streaming on Nimo TV.

Three months later the picture reversed. On 14 April 2022 news spread that Nimo TV would cease operations in several countries, including Turkey. Jahrein said they had learned of the decision the same day, had not expected it and did not know the reason; under his contract he would keep streaming for another month. In the hours after the news broke, no official statement came from the platform's Turkish accounts. According to Streams Charts, Huya had been shaken by restrictions imposed by the Chinese government, and Tencent had pulled out of funding the international project. As the platform closed in 14 countries, around 200 employees and streamers were affected in Brazil, its largest market.

The story of Nimo TV Turkey shows how fragile local success can be in the face of a global parent company's decisions. A large audience had been built in about two years, but the decision that sealed the platform's fate was taken not in Turkey but at the parent company in China.

Lessons for founders

• If your growth rests on a parent company's subsidy, do not make long-term promises without knowing how long that support will last.
• In a model where you attract streamers and partners with expensive contracts, work out when revenue will cover that cost.
• As a local team, keep information flowing strongly with headquarters; a closure learned at the last minute also destroys your partners' trust.

Sources

1. Nimo TV launches operations in Turkey (Fintechtime, 2020-02-06)
2. Which streamers were most watched on NimoTV last year? (Pikselog, 2021-01-11)
3. Nimo TV, where Jahrein streams, is 'closing': first statement from Jahrein (Webtekno, 2022-04-14)
4. Is Nimo TV closing, and why? A statement from Jahrein (Hürriyet, 2022-04-15)
5. Nimo TV shut down global operations, including Brazil and Indonesia (Streams Charts, 2022-04-14)

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