CEO claims Kick taking action against hundreds of viewbotting streamers
Streaming platform Kick is apparently taking significant action against viewbotting, with CEO Eddie Craven revealing that more than 200 streamers have been banned from the Kick Partner Program.
Viewbotting is a significant issue in the streaming industry, with both streamers and viewers speaking out against its misuse. Streaming platforms have recently begun taking more severe actions against those streamers who exploit bots to inflate their viewership numbers, and Kick is the latest to start taking action against those content creators. Kick CEO Eddie Craven revealed in a stream that hundreds of streamers have already been banned from the platform’s partner program, and more bans are planned to better curb this issue.
What is Kick doing about viewbotting?
Kick CEO Eddie Craven has stated that the platform has begun suspending streamers from its partner program “due to malicious use of viewbotting,” and will continue to suspend other violators as they are discovered.
In a recent stream on Kick, Craven talked about actions the platform is taking against rule violators. He claimed that just recently, 200 streamers were removed from the Kick Partner Program because of actions that included inflating viewership. Craven stated that the streamers are still able to receive their subscription revenues, but they will suspended from the KPP and unable to access its financial perks. The CEO also revealed that it’s still working on removing streamers who abuse the partner program, and approximately 100 more content creators will be banned weekly from KPP for the next year.
Eddie Craven on Kick
Reaction to Eddie’s reveal has been divided, with some stating that taking any action against viewbotting is good. Others, however, have been claiming the action isn’t being taken against top streamers who are engaged in viewbotting, and thus it’s partially ineffectual. Kick streamer Tyler “Trainwreckstv” Niknam has talked about the suspensions and alleged that only smaller streamers are being affected, which is unlikely to curb the issue at its highest levels. Trainwrecks said that not taking action against bigger streamers engaged in the practice will “destroy the streaming world.”
Trainwreck also argued that not banning the bigger content creators is giving them undue credibility, as viewers will assume they aren’t misusing bots. Many fans agreed with the streamer’s sentiment, demanding that Kick take action against the streamers who matter most in addition to smaller content creators.
Some estimates suggest that Kick has as many of 20 million hours of fake watch time accrued due to viewbotting. This can inflate general numbers and even revenue payouts for some streamers, but it’s ultimately artificial and could serve to rank them ahead of more deserving creators whose viewership is legitimate.
Feature image credit: Kick
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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