Korea's leading OTT service Tving will host a live "watch together" stream of the full episode 26 of season 1 of the anime "Demon Slayer" with YouTube creator Chimchakman starting at 11 a.m. on the 18th.
First aired in April 2019, "Demon Slayer" is an anime series based on the manga of the same name, and it is a hugely popular work whose TV series from season 1 through season 4, numerous special edited versions, and the film "Demon Slayer: Mugen Train" (2020) were big hits.
The three series available on Tving — "Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc," "Demon Slayer: Joint Strengthening Training Arc," and "Demon Slayer: Entertainment District Arc" — have dominated Tving's entire animation category by cumulative viewing time. In particular, the film "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" released in August this year proved its explosive popularity again by surpassing 4.8 million cumulative viewers within a month.
This is the first time Tving's "watch together?" will attempt a continuous live broadcast lasting more than 10 hours. It is significant because a VOD-centered OTT service has introduced long-form live broadcasting to create a new viewing experience that consolidates creators and fandoms.
Chimchakman, who will lead this live marathon, has consistently engaged with anime fans by combining his frank personality with an expert cartoonist's perspective in his content. Recently, he drew attention by expressing an unexpected affection for "Demon Slayer" on his channel despite not having seen it before, so his real-time reactions as he experiences the content for the first time through this "watch together?" live stream are expected to be another viewing highlight.
Starting at 11 a.m. on the 18th, viewers can enjoy the live stream through the Tving app, PC, smart TVs and other devices, and users can fully enjoy the live experience through Tving Talk.
A Tving official said the event will offer a new experience of meeting a long-loved blockbuster in real time on an OTT platform rather than on TV or in theaters, and noted that the combination of a creator's personality and Tving's interactive services is expected to create a new viewing culture.
Meanwhile, Tving's "watch together?" is an interactive service that launched in July as the first of its kind among domestic OTT services; it features watching the same content in real time with a special host while communicating via chat. From the "fandom broadcasts" held during the professional baseball season to Tving original variety show The Great Escape, tvN dramas such as Seocho-dong, and "Cat Territory War," various contents allow cast members and fans to interact in real time, earning strong user responses.
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