Live streaming has taken off over time, with millions of people flocking to sites like Twitch and YouTube Live to watch their favorite streamers play games, chat, and more.There’s been a lot of buzz about Kick, a fast-growing streaming platform that many believe is poised to take over Twitch. So what’s the deal with Kick, really?
What Is Kick?
Kickis a live streaming platform that was founded in late 2022 and is backed by Stake.com, an online gambling site that allows cryptocurrency.
Since Kick came on the heels ofTwitch’s prohibition of gambling sites, there has been some debate about the true intention of this new platform. Indeed, Kick has a dedicatedgambling sectionthat continues to be one of its most-watched genres.
Gambling affiliations aside, Kick claims to be the next big live streaming platform with fewer ads, less censorship, and more incentives for streamers than its competitors.
Kick offers the usual genres you’d expect from a live streaming site. At the time of writing, you can find categories for some of thebest battle royale gameslike Call of Duty and Fortnite, a Just Chatting category, and other interesting categories like V-Tubers, Music, and Digital Art.
you may watch Kick streams on your browser or download the app on your Android or iOS device.
Download:Kick forAndroid|iOS(Free, in-app purchases available)
Why Has Kick Become So Popular?
Kick has been all over the news for its insane signup rates and deals with popular streamers. In June 2023, Kick announced that it had secured mega streamer xQc for a nonexclusive two-year contract worth 100 million dollars.
To put things into perspective, MLB superstar Ohtani Shohei is projected to make 65 million in 2023, including endorsements.
That’s right, a video game streamer is making more than the greatest baseball player in the world.
It’s easy to see why the promise of an ad-free viewing experience on Kick is tempting viewers to check out the platform.
Why Are Your Favorite Streamers Choosing Kick Over Twitch?
The biggest reasons why streamers are leaving Twitch have to do with money and freedom.
1. Kick Has a Better Sub Revenue Split
By contrast, YouTube Live offers a 70% to 30% split, with Twitch offering just 50% to 50% to most streamers.Twitch’s Partner Plus programoffers a better revenue split, but it has specific requirements that many streamers won’t meet.
2. There’s Less Censorship on Kick
Since Kick is backed by an online gambling site, it makes sense that things are a bit more lax in terms of content. At the time of writing, Kick claims to have guidelines against “sexually suggestive” content and clothing, but a quick peek at its homepage shows these rules aren’t heavily enforced.
By contrast, Twitch is known for its strict guidelines and has been known to swing the ban hammer if a streamer even hints at breaking the rules. Many popular streamers like Dr. Disrespect, Amouranth, xQc, and Pokimane have all received bans from Twitch at one point.
3. Gambling Is Allowed on Kick
Some of your favorite streamers like to gamble, something that’s difficult to do on Twitch due to its restrictions. Gambling has been steadily creeping into the gaming world for years disguised as something else, typicallygacha gamesandloot boxes.
If you decide to check out some gambling streams, keep in mind that streamers are often gambling with the online casino’s money rather than their own.
Twitch Isn’t Going Anywhere Yet
The birth of Kick is an exciting development that could bring some much-needed competition to the live streaming space. If the rumors are true, Kick will serve as a place where streamers can worry less about breaking TOS and focus more on creating whatever content appeals to them. Time will tell if Kick has what it takes to truly compete with Twitch.
Twitch is still the king of live streaming. Even with the creation of Kick, an overwhelming amount of both streamers and viewers turn to Twitch to check out some of the biggest streamers on the platform.
