Watching Nightlife Unfold from Home
With her children asleep upstairs, Katie settles on the sofa downstairs, holding her phone in one hand and a drink in the other.
"Who needs to go out on a Friday night anymore, when you can sit at home, have a glass of wine and watch all the drama unfold?"
However, Katie is not watching popular TV shows like The Traitors or Bridgerton. Instead, she is tuned into a livestream showing people drinking at a small bar located more than 300 miles (480km) away from her home.
The 24-year-old from Yeovil frequently watches the feed from Morgan's Arcade Bar in Carlisle, despite never having visited the venue or the city.
What captivates Katie is observing the variety of patrons entering and leaving the bar: women celebrating a work party, couples singing along with live music, and a young man attempting to engage a woman at the bar.
"I'm a big fan of EastEnders, but obviously this is real life," Katie explains. "I was just comparing each person I saw to my friends… [there] was just that realism."
The TikTok Live comments section becomes lively with viewers encouraging the nervous young man trying to impress the woman.
Katie finds humor in watching the woman's friend standing nearby, seemingly irritated by the length of their conversation.
"[It] really made me laugh because I've been in that situation before with my friends."
She watches as the two eventually leave the bar together, wondering if they might now be a couple.
Katie believes that the authentic human interactions are what make livestreams like this emotionally engaging for viewers. These streams are often recommended to her and others through the TikTok app.
On some evenings, Morgan's Arcade Bar, which has a capacity of around 60 people, attracts up to 5,000 viewers simultaneously on its livestream. However, like other bar streams, it has faced bans and restrictions for unclear reasons.
The Bar Owner’s Experience with Livestreaming
Morgan Taylor, the owner of the bar, has been livestreaming for nearly nine months. He noticed a significant increase in viewers during the Christmas period. However, a few weeks ago, his TikTok account was deleted.
He received only a generic message stating he had violated community guidelines, without any specific explanation.
Morgan speculates whether the ban was related to bar mats displaying a beer brand or patrons holding drinks on camera, but no clarification was provided.
His account was restored a week later after he submitted an appeal letter to TikTok, though no correspondence accompanied the reinstatement.
"There was no correspondence from them," Morgan says. "I was happy to get it back because I'm enjoying these livestreams."
Customers at Morgan's Arcade Bar often pose for the camera, which is positioned behind the bar next to a bottle of vodka, for friends watching remotely.
The comments section has evolved into a community, with regular viewers interacting throughout the stream, which typically starts around 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Some viewers have volunteered to help moderate comments by removing offensive remarks about patrons and blocking persistent offenders.
Moderation and Community on Other Bar Livestreams
Steph, 34, assists with moderating comments on another livestream from Woody's, a Liverpool bar known for its karaoke nights.
Watching from her home in Belfast, Steph is a regular viewer of the stream.
"We keep it friendly and welcoming," Steph says. "Occasionally the odd numpty tries to ruin the vibe," she adds, "but they are quickly kicked off the stream."
Steph, a mother of two, values the sense of community in the comments section, which she refers to as her "TikTok family," helping her cope with difficult times.
"It was recently the anniversary of my sister's passing," Steph shares, "and [the DJ] went out of his way to play her funeral song for me."
Global Reach and TikTok Restrictions
Andy James, one of the DJs at Woody's, explains that the streams began less than six months ago but saw a surge in viewers just before Christmas. The bar streams daily and can have up to 1,500 viewers at any time.
He notes that Woody's nightlife is watched worldwide by audiences from the US, Canada, France, and the Canary Islands.
"With Woody's, it's all walks of life," Andy says. "Let's say a song comes on - Zombie by The Cranberries - and everyone is singing along, everyone. There's no ego - just everyone chilling, having a good time."
Although Woody's account has not faced bans or deletions like Morgan's Arcade Bar, they occasionally experience restrictions from TikTok.
These restrictions reduce the frequency with which their livestream appears on TikTok's For You page, limiting its visibility.
TikTok's Community Guidelines and Legal Considerations
TikTok states their community guidelines are explicit:
"We don't allow trading, marketing, or providing access to regulated or high-risk goods and services.
For certain products like alcohol, we allow some content, but may apply restrictions to reduce potential risks. On Live, our treatment of this type of content may be different."
Gemma Duxbury, a data protection specialist at Forbes Solicitors, comments that legal guidance on streaming in venues such as bars and clubs remains unclear, as it is a relatively new area compared to established rules on club photography.
She recommends displaying signs informing patrons that filming is taking place.
Morgan is considering producing signs to inform passers-by that his bar is popular on TikTok. Woody's already has a large sticker on the bar floor indicating a livestream is in progress.
"For the bar owner and the DJ, the last thing you want to do is go round the room getting everybody's signature saying, 'I give my consent to you [filming] this,'" Duxbury says. "But they really need to make people aware that it's being done."
Morgan tells patrons ordering drinks to smile for the camera. While many are aware of the stream, occasionally someone requests not to be filmed, and Morgan then directs the camera away from them during service.
Personal Reflections and Future Plans
Back in Yeovil, Katie reflects that although she enjoys watching Morgan's Arcade Bar livestream, she would feel embarrassed if she were filmed at her local pub.
"I come from a very small town so everybody knows everybody," she explains. "There's always an awkward interaction with an ex, or you see a girl from school that you don't like."
Unlike Katie, her friends do not have children, so the livestream helps her feel included on weekends when others are going out.
She hopes to visit Carlisle and Morgan's bar in person someday.
"I feel like I have to now," she says, "just to add to the plot."
