Streamer Bankrupted by Water Bills from Year-Long Pool Broadcast

A popular streamer who spent 365 days broadcasting from a pool to test the urban legend that 'being constantly wet doubles viewership' has suspended activities due to astronomical water bills. Their ad revenue failed to stay afloat.

2025-07-30

Translations: JA

Showbiz Pavilion

A popular streamer who spent 365 days broadcasting from a pool to test the urban legend that “being constantly wet doubles viewership” has suspended activities due to astronomical water bills. Their ad revenue failed to stay afloat.

Popular streamer “WetMaster N” boldly declared last June after setting up a home pool on their Tokyo apartment rooftop: “If viewers leave the moment I dry off, then I’ll just stay wet forever.” From morning workouts to late-night chats, everything was broadcast through rippling water, initially attracting over 100,000 followers. But beneath the surface, the water meter was spinning faster than their follower count.

According to the apartment management company, the year’s water usage equaled approximately 120 average households. Monthly bills averaged 1.2 million yen, totaling 14 million yen. Monthly ad revenue peaked at 600,000 yen but hit zero when sponsors withdrew, complaining “the splashing makes ads unreadable.” This “water business” ironically ended up enriching only the water bureau.

Viewer numbers gradually evaporated too. “The same pool every day doesn’t make for a ‘Water Wednesday Special,’” read the tide of boredom in the comments. To keep the viewing experience fresh, they doubled the chlorine, causing white smoke to rise from the surface and nearly electrocuting equipment, sparking social media outrage. A dry joke that “the only thing not wet was the advertising effectiveness” became a trending phrase.

The bankruptcy petition stated, “The water tank emptied my life.” Experts analyzed it as “a typical case of someone unable to swim the line between waste and romance.” While the influencer economy creates “waves of buzz,” it also reveals the reality of bearing “leak risks.” Social media suggests “next try water conservation streaming from the desert,” though there’s no guarantee of becoming viewers’ oasis.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo Water Bureau remained cool: “Even bubble stars see bills bubble up mercilessly.” Their AI meter-reading system introduced last year detected “constant mass discharge,” becoming an internal training example of the successful “let it flow, let them pay” model. Public utility water levels are always at high tide—an era where bills swell along with dreams.

After completing bankruptcy proceedings, N commented, “I’ll pivot to towel reviews and share the joy of drying.” However, towel manufacturer representatives smiled knowingly: “Drying takes time.” The streaming market continues to ripple, but perhaps viewers seek “substance” over “wet scenes.”

Stakeholder Comments

WetMaster N himself: “I wanted to be free like water, but free water isn’t free.”
Apartment Management: “First time seeing a wallet flood before the pool.”
Water Bureau AI Meter: “Click-click… records don’t stop, unlike water surfaces.”
Ad Sponsor: “When banners go underwater, CTR sinks too—basic physics.”
Anonymous SNS Viewer: “His bankruptcy moment was the ultimate content.”
Self-proclaimed Influencer Guru: “If you’re getting wet, at least get insurance coverage too.”
Chlorine Tablet: “Don’t blame me, please read the instructions.”
Rooftop Drain: “Nightly monsoon games—I’ve been over capacity for ages.”
Bankruptcy Trustee: “Pools are liabilities, not assets—a classic case of sinking with every stroke.”
Towel Industry PR: “We have towels ready to absorb dry humor.”

International Expressions

Haiku

Through water’s lens / Viewership sinks with balance / Both going under
Foaming up dreams / Broadcasting bankruptcy forms / Water bill tsunamis
Wet screen streaming / Only bank account dries up / Nothing else remains
Late night wave clicks / Viewer numbers evaporate / Like morning mist
Rooftop rain dance / Live streaming makes water cry / Bureau celebrates
Chlorine cloud forms / Sponsors flee the summer pool / Revenue drought
Bankruptcy float / Receipt lily pads in pool / Under moon’s gaze
Leak’s heartbeat live / Judgment drums through streaming waves / Final broadcast
Empty pool floor / Dried bottom shows ad shadows / Dreams evaporated
Towels hanging high / New chapter begins to dry / Spring wind of change