Kick faces backlash over ads, Eddie Craven responds

Khizar Mundia Published 25/05/2026

Livestreaming platform Kick recently started testing rolling out ads, and many popular streamers criticized this move. Kick CEO Eddie Craven has now responded to the outrage and explained how ads will work going forward.

Eddie Craven had announced in 2025 that Kick would eventually get ads, but the platform is trying to make them unintrusive. There wasn’t much update about advertisements on the platform until Mizkif got an ad on a broadcast in 2026. That seemed like a one-off, and not many others reported seeing adverts on Kick. This changed when several casino streamers, such as Tyler “Trainwreckstv” Niknam, Adin Ross, and others, started to unexpectedly get ads in their broadcasts.

Adin Ross expressed outrage, threatening to move to Twitch, while Trainwreckstv claimed that the ads were just being tested on casino streams. Kick co-founder Eddie Craven has now responded in an attempt to clarify the situation.

Eddie Craven says only slot streamers will have ads during testing phase

In a recent stream, Craven talked about the backlash Kick is receiving due to the ads that are currently being shown on certain broadcasts. He clarified that Kick is currently only testing ads, which is why the aforementioned advertisements are promoting the platform. The Kick co-founder also stated that this is normal for the advertising industry, as they need data before they can start selling ads to sponsors.

Image credit: Eddie Craven

The Australian entrepreneur elaborated that the ads are only seven seconds and not intrusive, unlike rival platforms. He also said creators will have full control over opting in or not running ads at all. The Kick top dog also confirmed that slot streams are being treated as the “guinea pig,” and the rest of the broadcasts will remain unaffected as the ads are tested.

Craven reiterated that everyone will be informed once the ads are rolled out generally on the Kick network. When asked what the creator splits for ads would look like, he stated that seven-second skippable ads will likely not generate much money. The co-founder said Kick isn’t trying to make as much money as possible, and instead wants to better the user experience. However, he said it’s a reality that when someone is paying for ads, they would want there to be unskippable ads.

The co-founder ended by saying Kick wants to balance everything by giving creators control and making ads unintrusive, but understands that advertisers will push for the option of more intrusive pop-ups; he also stated that he isn’t sure what the ads split will be.

It remains to be seen how ads shape up on Kick and whether Eddie Craven remains true to his promise of prioritizing user experience over generating more money by plastering ads on all streams — it should become clear for viewers and creators in the coming months.

Feature image credit: Eddie Craven

Khizar Mundia

About Khizar Mundia

Khizar Mundia has been playing video games for as long as he can recall. Things have come a long way since the many days he spent playing the original NES, though. He now covers a variety of competitive games and esports, as well as the world of streaming, ranging from Twitch to Kick. If it’s of interest to gamers, it’s of interest to Khizar.

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