Kick Has Ads Now — What Does That Mean for Streamers and Viewers?

Ben Boland Published 17/08/2026

Perhaps the biggest news of 2026 so far from Kick is the recent announcement that advertisements have been rolled out on the livestreaming platform. More than any other update, ads is a major update that will fundamentally change the experience for both users and creators alike. But what exactly does it mean for streamers and viewers who have helped shape Kick into one of the biggest streaming platforms on the market?

How is Kick changing?

Unlike its main competitors — especially Twitch — Kick opted for a different approach to growing its platform. It initially forewent advertising revenue opportunities to focus on building up its creators and attracting a dedicated audience. With KICK growing significantly, the company has only now introduced ads to its platform. The platform stated that it welcomed 39 million new users in 2025, with a further 27 million in the first half of 2026. Now that the foundations have been set, introducing advertisements was always likely to be the next step for the site, which was founded by Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven in 2022.

The maturation for Kick as a brand was displayed in a recent press release which revealed its rapidly growing Gen Z audience, with 81.7% of users aged 18 to 34.

What do Kick Ads mean for streamers?

Advertisements are not a source of revenue on Kick for streamers, with existing revenue streams such as subscriptions currently unchanged for those part of the Kick Partner Program. Monetisation is not available in the Slots & Casino category and Kick has recently confirmed that advertising is not designed to be distributed back to creators. Instead, in the platform’s own words, “Kick shows ads across the platform to support the platform’s continued growth, stability, and development”. So, while it may not directly give creators extra earnings, a more reliable and attractive platform can clearly be beneficial in the long-run. This comes following a major algorithm update earlier this year which was designed to limit viewbotting.

What do Kick Ads mean for viewers?

The biggest change for the audience is the simplest: Kick is no longer an entirely ad-free platform. Ads have become part of the viewer experience, as Twitch and YouTube viewers have become accustomed to.

The frequency with which users will experience ads has yet to be confirmed by Kick. However, the platform has confirmed that they will be unskippable, but creators are able to see upcoming ads on their dashboard and choose to delay or bring forward the advert. Crucially, subscribers will not see ads on channels that they are subscribed to, while any clips captured will show only the content and not the ads.

Editor’s view: What do Kick Ads mean for the future?

With Kick ads here, the streaming platform is entering the next stage of its rapid growth as it competes with Twitch, YouTube, and even X. With the platform standing now trying to bring in new sources of income and maturing as a brand, it is natural that the management team sees advertisements as a logical addition to the platform, even if it is proving to be a big change for creators and especially viewers.

Given that the company has a largely Gen Z audience, getting advertising revenue in their coffers will clearly need to be balanced with a user experience that is not majorly impeded by obtrusive ads. This may take some tweaking given that full-scale advertising has only been on Kick for a few weeks, but the freemium model seems to be the most logical compromise.

Featured image credit: Kick

Ben Boland

About Ben Boland

Ben is the Lead Editor at Win.gg, bringing a decade of iGaming industry experience having worked for both the operator and affiliation sides. With a formal journalism background, he is responsible for ensuring that every piece of content that we publish is relevant, accurate and well-written. In his own time, he enjoys playing video games and especially enjoys Rockstar titles, considering Red Dead Redemption 2 the finest title ever made. He has also spent a lot of time playing GTA V over the years and is fascinated by how streaming is changing the landscape of the industry.

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