[2Win5] Poster session 2

[2Win5-29] Analysis of Creator Attributes and Fan Base in the VTuber Market

〇Tomohiro Murakami¹, Mitsuo Yoshida¹ (1.University of Tsukuba)

Keywords:YouTube, Creator, Virtual YouTuber, Network analysis

YouTube has become an indispensable platform in contemporary society, hosting a diverse range of content creators. Among these creators, VTubers, who employ virtual avatars, have garnered significant attention as a novel form of digital entertainment. While previous research has examined content creators primarily from the perspectives of labor issues and intrinsic motivation, the relationship between differing creator attributes and the characteristics of their fan bases remains insufficiently understood. In this study, we focus on VTubers who debuted between 2022 and 2023, gathering user engagement data and classifying these creators based on attributes such as agency affiliation and avatar gender. We then analyze variations in the size and structure of their fan bases. Our findings reveal notable differences in fan base trends according to whether a creator is affiliated with an agency, suggesting that corporate support via contractual relationships exerts a measurable influence. These findings can serve as foundational data for developing sustainable support strategies for creators operating on digital distribution platforms.