Kiswe Powers Over Half a Billion Fan Engagements Around the Globe in 2020

New Providence, N.J. - Kiswe, the global technology powering the new digital fan experience, today announces record-breaking engagement numbers and overall company growth in 2020. Last year, 1.4 million viewers in nearly 200 countries enjoyed Kiswe’s pay-per-view solution for a combined 4.68M hours and 537.2 million interactive engagements - an average approaching 400 times per fan - and Kiswe delivered nearly 20 billion chat messages to fans. Overall, Kiswe grew company revenue 10x in 2020 compared to 2019.

The announcement comes on the heels of news that YG Entertainment (“YG”) and Universal Music Group (“UMG”) have entered Kiswe’s joint venture with Big Hit Entertainment (“Bit Hit”), forming VenewLive, a new digital live performance platform powered by Kiswe, to bring artists and fans around the globe closer together through immersive digital experiences.

Since signing an MOU in May 2020, Kiswe and Big Hit have been redefining the digital concert experience as COVID-19 accelerated the future of live events. Throughout 2020, Kiswe’s growth in the music space skyrocketed, with its Virtual Event platform supporting 13 pay-per-view concerts, one of which broke a Guinness World Book of Records for most online viewers of a paid concert. Ending the year on a high note, Kiswe powered New Year’s Eve concerts on VenewLive for Justin Bieber and Grammy-nominated BTS - supporting two of the world’s biggest acts in one night alone.

Kiswe’s growth in the sports arena was equally dramatic as it partnered with sports leagues like the NBA and powered fan engagement activations ranging from the return of the PGA TOUR to the Washington Capitals Virtual Game Day to taking the Tour of Flanders virtual.

Recently recognized on Fast Company’s list of Most Innovative Companies of 2021 in the live events category, Kiswe has 11 patents for its technology, which offers multi-view streaming and digital interactive features, creating world-class experiences that make fans feel seen, valued and connected with their favorite artists, performers or sports teams.

Kiswe also conducted an in-depth cross-event learning study that analyzed data from over 20 live events and found that interactive features such as a “fan wall” result in a significant increase in fan participation and measured audience sentiment:

1. Fans want to be seen by the performers: For example, when the artists can view fan contributions on a live fan wall.

• Average audience sentiment increased 108% compared with moments when the virtual audience was not included in the event.

2. Fans want to be “heard” by the performers.

• In one concert, chat volume increased by 144% and chat participants doubled when the performers engaged directly with the audience represented on the fan wall.
• In one concert, the average audience sentiment increased by 181% when a performer called out a fan from the live chat.

“In 2020, Kiswe really defined the new digital fan experience market. Demand for our solutions propelled Kiswe’s growth to over 10x in less than a year. 2021 will be about taking our learnings and going to the next level - in scale, innovation and reach,” said Kiswe CEO Mike Schabel. “Partnerships with entertainment powerhouses and sports giants from Big Hit to the NBA will help expand our global presence as we continue to develop services that set us apart throughout the world.”

About Kiswe
Kiswe is a cloud-based video company that creates real-time live streams to engage digital audiences and unique communities around the world. By partnering with sports rights holders, Kiswe Studio enables remote commentators to transform live games into multiple viewing experiences via personalized content and local languages. Kiswe's award-winning technology also unlocks ways for people to stay connected over live events through a content creation and mobile platform that bridges media companies with consumers. Kiswe is headquartered in New Jersey, USA and has offices in New York, Seoul, Belgium, and Singapore. Learn more at www.kiswe.com.