Shanghai’s Covid-19 lockdown delivers another heavy blow to live-streamers, devastating ads and sales

Disruptions to deliveries have made it more difficult for live-streamers to sell goods and get advertising deals, leading some to give up during lockdowns

Live-streaming e-commerce boomed in the early days of the pandemic, but China’s zero-Covid policy is presenting new economic challenges

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A live-streaming host introduces products in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, on February 8, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:00pm, 11 May 2022Updated: 1:10pm, 31 May 2022

The six-week-long lockdown in Shanghai, along with a string of lockdowns in other cities in the surrounding Yangtze River Delta region, has dealt another heavy blow to the region’s once-thriving live-streaming industry after being hit hard by a regulatory crackdown last year.

Having been stuck at her Shanghai flat for 40 days straight, 27-year-old professional live-streamer Zhu Cancan said she has mostly given up the job for now.

Zhu still sets a morning alarm, but not to get ready for work. She wakes up early to get a jump on buying fresh food on grocery apps. Her more relaxed schedule now usually consists of playing the Tencent Holdings mobile game Honour of Kings in the morning and an online version of Mahjong with friends in the afternoon. In the evening, she binge watches TV dramas.

“It’s basically impossible for you to sell products via live-streaming under the Shanghai lockdown. Express delivery systems are not working, so I’m unable to receive products that I planned to sell. Teammates are also being locked in other places,” Zhu said. “Brands are also being hit hard, and many have already cut their budgets.”