New live streaming platform, SOOP, has revealed that its global beta will launch on June 5, 2024.
The platform is specifically aimed at esports and gaming fans, and seeks to elevate the live streaming landscape with intuitive features for streamers and users, and exclusive partnerships with esports athletes, gaming streamers, and game publishers.
SOOP comes from the same team behind Korea’s premier live streaming platform, AfreecaTV, and includes a wealth of features and technological advancements that promise an enriched and seamless live streaming experience.
Faker and other esports stars to stream live and create original content for SOOP
The platform has secured strategic partnerships with some of esports and gaming’s most notable figures, such as League of Legends 2023 World Champions T1, including Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok; world-class Valorant team, DRX, including Byung-chul “BuZz” Yu; three-time EVO Tekken champion, Bae “Knee” Jae-Min, of DRX; former Overwatch champion, Kim “EscA” In-jae; and gaming streamer, ACAU AKA “Crocodile”.
These esports and gaming personalities will create live streams and original content for global viewing on the channel, as well as on AfreecaTV for Korean fans.
The platform will also collaborate with renowned Thai streamers like EDWIN, SuperBusS and FifaTargrean, who will live stream and upload original content exclusively on SOOP.
SOOP teams up with organizers and game publishers, including Riot Games
In addition to partnerships with esports athletes and gaming streamers, SOOP will team up with game publishers and tournament organizers.
The first of these partnerships will see SOOP exclusively produce and operate Riot Games’ Valorant Challengers Thailand 2024.
SOOP has also secured the publishing and broadcasting rights in Thailand for tournaments including the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT).
A wide range of SOOP original content will be available for users to enjoy at launch, including broadcasts of the AfreecaTV Valorant League (AVL), Global StarCraft II League (GSL), AfreecaTV StarCraft League (ASL), AfreecaTV Tekken League (ATL), and Union Mondiale de Billard (UMB), as well as variety entertainment spanning casual gaming, music, and talk shows, exclusively on SOOP.
Users will be able to host multiple channels under one account, empowering streamers to diversify their content for different audiences and interests, eliminating the need to grow new channels and audiences from scratch.
Integrated virtual avatar creation by leading 3D virtual avatar developer partner, MASCOZ, allows streamers to become “Virtual Streamers” instantly and seamlessly, without the costly setup of avatar creation and motion and facial capture function.
Additionally, a real-time live stream translation feature will be launched before the end of June, 2024, enabling streamers to reach and grow their communities on an international scale.
“SOOP represents more than just a streaming platform; it embodies a cultural movement towards unrestricted expression and community empowerment,” said Daniel Choi, GM of SOOP Global Business. “We are thrilled to introduce SOOP to the world and are committed to leveraging our wealth of experience to enrich the global streaming landscape.”
SOOP will initially be available on June 5, 2024, in English, Thai, and Chinese for PC users via its web platform, and mobile users via respective apps for Android and Apple devices.
Pre-registration for the platform’s mobile app will be available from today on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Pre-registered users will be notified once the platform is live, and will be able to immediately explore SOOP’s extensive live and on-demand content from the intuitive mobile experience.
