VTubers are buying 15 seconds of Times Square fame for $40, but is it really worth it? TSX \/ Twitter: 2023UkiBdayTimes Square is one of the world\u2019s busiest intersections, and slots on its iconic billboards go for tens of thousands a day. TSX is offering influencers a slice of that pie with just $40 slots on its PixelStar ad space, and VTubers are flocking to it. But is the novelty worth it? Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame. In the influencer world, it can be as simple as going viral with a hit video, stream, or post. But now there\u2019s a way to get that fame in the middle of New York\u2019s iconic Times Square, passed by more than 300,000 people daily, for as little as $40. It\u2019s only 15 seconds that entertainment company TSX is offering social media stars with their PixelStar billboard. However the novelty of the product has seen more than 200,000 users download their app in its first six months, and users book out slots day and night. \u201cWe had this vision to create the world\u2019s largest social feed in the most traffic location in the western hemisphere by giving anyone a new canvas to be creative on,\u201d TSX co-founder and co-CEO Nick Holmsten told Dexerto. The program sells itself as an opportunity to \u201cbe featured on the world\u2019s largest social feed.\u201d There\u2019s a myriad of ways to use it: \u201cShowcase your talent. Celebrate milestones. Surprise a loved one. The possibilities are limitless.\u201d It\u2019s a simple design too. All you have to do is upload a video or photo, crop and trim to your liking, and then you can have your face beamed out to thousands. Not there on the ground? You can watch the 24\/7 livestream. \u201cWe have always believed that the only way to move culture and create buzz is to create a feeling of community by combining a physical event with an underlying digital platform that leverages social media for amplification,\u201d Holmsten added. In the gaming world, Times Square might come with the cringe-worthy memory of Tyler \u2018Ninja\u2019 Blevins flossing during the New Year\u2019s countdown. But with this new project reducing the cost of entry significantly in one of the world\u2019s most hotly-contested marketing spots, stars can forge their own paths. The group taking the biggest advantage recently? VTubers. Virtual stars have been beamed up into Times Square before. Fans of Hololive star Ouro Kronii got Council\u2019s Time Warden plenty of air time in the busy strip as a birthday present. Even independent stars, like Fefe, have managed to raise the required funds to take the traditional route. And it was while she was recently in New York, funnily enough watching herself appear on another billboard just up the road on 1530 Broadway, that Fefe saw this opportunity crop up. \u201cI saw an advertisement about the app and honestly at first I was really confused so I looked on Twitter and saw people were putting Spongebob memes on it so I thought I\u2019d check it out,\u201d she told Dexerto. \u201cI didn\u2019t really think much of it at first until I saw someone mentioned it was only $40 which shocked me considering I\u2019ve been spending like $5000 for billboards. \u201cI thought maybe it was a scam, so I downloaded the app and tested it by putting a Jojo meme on it. Well it was actually really easy and my Jojo meme was up on the billboard about an hour later.\u201d Fefe got herself up on Times Square, again, on July 13 through PixelStar. She shared a 15 second animation showcasing her VTuber, emanating thunder and lightning. And while the novelty of appearing in the Big Apple was stripped back for her, the same can\u2019t be said for other creators. Aki, or \u2018orangeisborange\u2019, got to appreciate it herself as a gift from a friend. She was aware of the billboard\u2019s existence thanks to Pikmin fans posting memes in the leadup to Pikmin 4\u2019s release. She thought the luxury of being placed in Times Square was for \u201creally rich and high-class people only.\u201d But when a friend asked her for a quick video with her model, she didn\u2019t expect to then see herself on the big screen. \u201cThey didn\u2019t really explain why,\u201d she laughed, \u201c[then the] next day I found out I was in the middle of Times Square waving to people who passed by.\u201d This kind of use of TSX\u2019s PixelStar billboard has become pretty popular in the VTuber community because of its accessibility. Historically fans have had to crowdfund hundreds, if not thousands, to rent billboards in train stations or on the sides of buses to flex their favorite creators. But thanks to TSX, fanbases of Uki Violeta and Shoto have easily gotten funds together to throw their oshi up there. However this raises questions about what purpose the billboard actually serves. TSX\u2019s PixelStar program isn\u2019t made to be an advertisement. The videos are only 15 seconds long, and the community guidelines prohibit a lot of forms of advertising. At the most you\u2019re getting a quick audioless video with a couple of social links up there. \u201cConsidering they have a no self promotion policy there\u2019s no real benefit from using TSX from a marketing standpoint,\u201d Fefe noted. \u201cIt\u2019s more a fun thing to show your friends and make cool memes. \u201cNormal advertising does cost a lot but you get free reign to promote yourself. I\u2019ve seen a lot of growth from people seeing my Twitch link or Twitter handle on a billboard I\u2019ve paid for.\u201d It requires a bit more effort to actually convert that audience, and right now that usually comes from promoting the fact you\u2019ve been in Times Square elsewhere. \u201cSure having something like that could be interesting but I doubt a lot of people who saw it in person probably [thought] much of it,\u201d Aki added. \u201cI could see it being a tool though, because when I did post it on Twitter I wasn\u2019t expecting a lot of people to like it, or for it to blow it up a little. But things always happen in mysterious ways.\u201d There are potential issues for some creators with more suggestive appearances \u2014 even if not outright adult. Fefe said she had six clips with her default VTuber model knocked back from appearing. Aki also mentioned the moderation was strict to try and save public face. \u201cI do understand from a business standpoint, but it does seem like they just kinda immediately write off anime girls as lewd,\u201d Fefe said, drawing comparisons to the policy of some streaming platforms. Creators also see such a novelty having a timer before it loses its shine. Once it becomes standard to flick your face, or VTuber model, up there at least once in your life, then it loses its meaning a bit. It would just then convert into a meme bulletin. In the interim though, especially for smaller creators, there\u2019s real value: \u201cI honestly find it genius,\u201d Fefe stated. \u201cAs someone who\u2019s spent over $30,000 on Times Square billboards, I\u2019m aware not everyone is going to be able to do that. Thanks to TSX, people can experience what some consider a once in a lifetime opportunity for like $40.\u201d That was backed up by Aki: \u201cIt was kinda surreal to see it air live on a building. Some of my friends thought I was in New York because they saw it.\u201d It\u2019s important to note neither VTuber actually recommended it for any sort of audience growth. The $40 will not get you thousands of clicks. But the fun experience is the big selling point. PixelStar\u2019s uptake has been quite the revolution in influencer spaces. VTubers are the latest to get on the trend, and as more communities tap into it, it will continue to spread. \u201cIt\u2019ll probably last the more people keep using it,\u201d Aki said, \u201cfor comedic value or to say \u2018Hey! I was in Times Square once!\u2019 I guess to some it could be seen as something really cool. \u201cFor me it was a gift from someone who wants to see me succeed, and I find that far more important than some traction or numbers.\u201d The uptake has been noted by Holmsten too: \u201cIt has been fascinating to see how creative people are and how important it has been to the influencer community for content creation and reach. \u201cThe billboard has become an extension of social media, and our focus is to ensure we provide more features that the virtual influencer space wants. However if the magic of PixelStar dies, it won\u2019t be the end of TSX\u2019s journey to try and give influencers space in some of the world\u2019s most iconic markets. And that means more novelty chances to see your favorite VTuber in the real world. \u201cThis is still very early for us,\u201d Holmsten concluded. \u201cOur tech and product team has some incredible new products and features in the pipeline, and you will see new creative formats being released in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
VTubers are buying 15 seconds of Times Square fame for $40, but is it really worth it? TSX \/ Twitter: 2023UkiBdayTimes Square is one of the world\u2019s busiest intersections, and slots on its iconic billboards go for tens of thousands a day. TSX is offering influencers a slice of that pie with just $40 slots […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63670\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}