Kick
Kick
Kick makes it official with cloakzy as fans wonder what’s next
Khizar Mundia
Kick has officially announced its welcoming of Dennis “cloakzy” Lepore to the streaming platform, and the streamer’s millions of fans are hungry to know how the move came about and what it means for his future. cloakzy is an American content creator and competitive gamer, best known for his Fortnite exploits. At his peak, he became the captain of FaZe Clan’s Fortnite team, though he eventually left FaZe following a …
Kick
The wild reason why Sam Pepper was banned on Kick
Khizar Mundia
Kick has banned streamer and content creator Samuel “Sam Pepper” Nicholas Pepper, and the reason why has many in shock. Sam Pepper is a popular streamer, but he’s also quite infamous for the occasionally controversial nature of his content. He first came into the limelight by appearing on the UK version of hit reality show Big Brother in 2010. The streamer then created a YouTube channel and began making prank …
Kick
Westcol breaks Kick viewership record again with Stream Fighters 4
Khizar Mundia
Colombian streamer Luis “WestCol” Villa is known for his Stream Fighters streams and the live viewer milestones they set, and the content creator has now outdone himself again by breaking his own Kick viewership record. Westcol is one of the most popular content creators on Kick, streaming primarily in Spanish. The streamer has a massive presence on Kick and is arguably the biggest Spanish-language content creator on the entire platform. …
Kick
xQc compares streaming and video earnings with MoistCr1TiKaL, how much he’s earned
Khizar Mundia
Kick streamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel recently revealed how much he used to make on Twitch, and now the streamer has shared his lifetime earnings on YouTube. Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White Jr. took the streaming industry by storm when he revealed his lifetime earnings during his career, with many millions of dollars accrued. This led to xQc also displaying his Twitch revenue for a “bad day,” which was close to $40,000 for …
Kick
Adin Ross hit with Kick ban after new gambling deal, here’s what we know so far
Khizar Mundia
Prominent Kick streamer Adin Ross had been banned from the Stake-owned platform following his signing with a new gambling sponsor, and fans are speculating whether that switch has anything to do with his Kick channel getting taken down. Adin Ross is one of the top streamers on Kick, and he was recently in the limelight for seeming drama with the platform’s CEO. The streamer was apparently set to leave the …
Kick
Esports viewership is rapidly growing on Kick, setting new records
Fariha Bhatti
Kick has undergone a dramatic shift in its content and viewership over the past two years, with stats suggesting the platform has the potential to be the next big esports streaming hub if its growth continues at the same pace and new records continue to be set. When Kick was launched in 2022, skepticism ran high. Twitch was already firmly established as leading player in the gaming and streaming world. …
Kick
Explaining the Adin Ross and Sneako friendship drama, and what’s next
Khizar Mundia
Adin Ross and Nicolas “Sneako” Kenn De Balinthaz have displayed a strong bond publicly countless times, but something has caused drama in their friendship, and both streamers have now spoken out on the rift. The streamer world is nothing without its many controversies and constant drama, and Kick streamer Adin Ross is chief among the streamers who is frequently involved in beefs and public fueds. Adin has been on good …
Kick
KICK Studios head talks OTK partnership, community events, and what’s next
Jared Wynne
KICK is breaking in its new KICK Studios project with a bang, and that bang comes in the form of a partnership with famed streamer collective OTK. KICK has been busy at work this year in building on its own momentum. The streaming platform made major waves when it brought on MrBeast, one of the world’s biggest online content creators, to assist with his TeamWater initiative. The move resulted in …
Adin Ross and FaZe Lacy embroiled in new drama, here’s what to know
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Popular streamers Adin Ross and Nick “Lacy” Fosco have had a public falling out, leading to the two feuding with each other via increasingly angry streams and tweets. Adin Ross has been streaming on Kick since 2023 when he was banned from Twitch. The streamer has since been unbanned from the Amazon-backed livestreaming platform but has remained loyal to Kick. FaZe Lacy, on the other hand, tried to multistream on Kick …
Drake Kick channel seemingly deleted, fans wonder if he’s gone for good
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Canadian rapper Drake shocked fans when he made his apparent beef with Kick co-owners Eddie Craven and Bijan Tehrani public, and now his Kick channel has seemingly been deleted, further fueling speculation. Drake is the most popular mainstream celebrity figure on Kick, and the rapper is quite active on the platform. He’s done everything from collaborating with mainstay Kick streamers like Adin Ross, to supporting other streamers in by participating …
Drake sparks talk that he may have beef with the co-owners of Kick
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Popular rapper Drake has publicly called out Kick co-owners Eddie Craven and Bijan Tehrani, and fans are now confused as to whether there’s real beef between the three. Drake is a significantly popular Canadian rapper who also streams on the livestreaming platform Kick, where has collaborated with such popular Kick streamers as Adin Ross and Félix “xQc” Lengyel. The rapper hosted a charity stream on Kick in April and is …
Adin Ross, MrBeast reveal just how much money they spend on security
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Kick streamer Adin Ross and new Kick entrant James “MrBeast” Donaldson discussed finances during a stream and both revealed to viewers how much they spend on security. Adin Ross is a prominent content creator and a big name name in the streaming industry, while MrBeast requires little in the way of introduction as one of the most successful content creators on the web. Both are at the top of their …
Ice Poseidon says he’s breaking up again with his girlfriend Kimmee, here’s why
Khizar Mundia
Kick
The streaming industry is rarely without drama, and in the latest reminder of that simple fact, Paul “Ice Poseidon” Denino is making waves among his fans for announcing live on stream that he broke up with his girlfriend Kimmee. Ice Posideon is a controversial streamer who primarily streams on Kick ever since he was permanently banned from competing platform Twitch. The streamer is regularly in the news and has done …
Kick bans Xenathewitch after scavenger hunt paintball incident goes viral
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Controversial streamer Amaris “Xenathewitch” Xena has gone viral for shooting someone with a paintball gun on stream, and her actions have now led to Kick delivering a ban to her. Xena is a Kick streamer who is infamous for her at-times controversial words and deeds, and those deeds have led the platform to punish her for her latest transgression. The steamer’s previous incidences have included verbal altercations and spray-tagging vehicles …
MrBeast joins Kick to stream, aims to raise $5 million
Fariha Bhatti
Kick
James “MrBeast” Donaldson has made occasional appearances on other creators’ streams on Kick and elsewhere, but up until now, he’s stuck to YouTube for his own content. That’s about to change, as he’s just launched a new Kick account, with a particular reason being given to the public for the move. MrBeast has been pulling out all the stops to raise funds for his TeamWater project, which aims to provide …
Kick streamer Zein sets new viewership record with huge boxing stream
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Multiple Spanish-speaking streamers have been breaking streaming records of late, and now Kick streamer Andy “Zein” Dante Merino has reached a new viewership milestone for the platform. Spanish streamers are currently in high demand, with the biggest among them setting new records across multiple streaming platforms. Kick has become the most popular streaming platform for Spanish streamers, and according to recent statistics, they get the most Spanish-language viewers as well. …
What Ed Craven’s new AI venture could one day mean for Stake and Kick
Fariha Bhatti
Kick
While Ed Craven made his billions through crypto-powered gambling, he’s now spending much of that money trying to build Australia’s answer to OpenAI, and here’s what that could mean for betting platform Stake and streaming platform Kick. When Kick was launched in 2022, streamers and their fans had plenty of assumptions about its future potential, chief among them that the platform was just a funnel to drive traffic to the …
N3on confirms leaks, he’s leaving Kick for Twitch
Fariha Bhatti
Kick
Rangesh “N3on” Mutama has officially confirmed leaks regarding his move to streaming platform Twitch, following weeks of speculation about his potential departure from Kick. N3on had been teasing a possible exit from Kick during his streams, hinting that his recent broadcast might be his last on the platform. He also recently announced an indefinite break from streaming, fueling rumors that he was leaving Kick for good. He’s been with the …
Kick offered big stream deal to Adin Ross, iShowSpeed, Kai Cenat
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Adin Ross revealed in a live stream that Kick CEO Eddie Craven had offered iShowSpeed, Kai Cenat, and Ross a multi-million dollar deal to stream on the Stake-backed platform. Kick is currently riding momentum in some streaming circles because of its greater profit share and the high potential of its partner program, which can increase streamers’ earning potential. The platform has also managed to outperform Twitch in the Spanish-speaking market …
Kick is overtaking Twitch in popularity for Spanish streamers
Khizar Mundia
Kick
Kick has become increasingly popular among streamers for a multitude of reasons, and its Spanish streams are evidently now even more popular than those on rival streaming platform Twitch. Kick has continuously proved itself as a worthy competitor to other older and more established streaming platforms. Whether it’s the higher earning potential for streamers or the sheer popularity of Kick, things have been trending up for the Stake-owned platform. Kick …
Since its initial announcement in 2022, Kick has quickly becoming one of the biggest streaming platforms on the planet. Its notoriety is a product a variety of successes and controversies attached to the platform, and through it all, one thing has been firmly established: Kick is here to stay in the streaming space, and other platforms will have to continue contending with it as a result.
When was Kick launched?
Kick was originally brought about in October 2022, though the streaming platform didn’t go live as its users recognize today until December 2022, a short time later. The streaming platform immediately made a splash as a prominent alternative to popular competitors of the day, most especially Amazon-owned streaming platform Twitch.
Kick was only the latest platform to make such an effort. YouTube Gaming had launched as an arm of the popular video hosting website YouTube in 2015 with similar intentions. One year later, technology giant Microsoft launched its own streaming platform, Mixer, as an entry into the growing competition.
Both YouTube Gaming and Mixer made waves in the livestreaming space by signing content creators to exclusivity contracts worth big money, intended to carve chunks of audience away from Twitch. But YouTube Gaming folded in 2019, and Mixer followed it just one year later. Twitch was again left relatively unchallenged.
That changed when Kick was announced in 2022. Funded by gambling giant
Stake, Kick was the next platform in line to challenge Twitch’s dominance in the streaming space. And the new platform had a plan for that competition.
Kick offers better deals to streamers
Seeking to make its own mark in the streaming world, Kick would go on to announce a very generous 95/5 split of
channel subscription revenue
towards streamers. This was a major change relative to the established norm, as Twitch was known for taking significant cuts of any revenue its streamers managed to create. By offering so much better a percentage, Kick instantly made itself an attractive destination for many streamers whether they were new to content creation or established names.
Established names were also central to Kick’s strategy. In 2023, the platform’s first full year of formal operations, Kick signed deals with some of the biggest content creators associated with Twitch. These deals were made with a broad variety of streamers who appealed to different audiences.
Notable names included former Overwatch pro Felix “xQc” Lengyel, world-ranked chess grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, popular content creator Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa, Fortnite pro and former 100 Thieves streamer Nick “Nickmercs” Kolcheff, and others.
Kick was able to support itself through these aggressive signings and generous revenue splits in large part because the platform is not required by its owners at Stake to be profitable. Rather, Kick is operated as a loss leader, a project that operates at a deficit but is relied on for its community outreach and overall marketing potential.
Looser moderation draws some streamers, users to Kick
Kick has also established a reputation for having looser moderation than that of rival platform Twitch. While Twitch has often gotten into hot water for its inconsistent moderation policies regarding its streamers, Kick sought to lower the moderation barrier and allow content creators more freedom to express themselves.
This led to the migration of some popular streamers who had fallen out of favor with Twitch, including Adin Ross and Steven “Destiny” Bonnell.
While this broader freedom has been welcomed by some streamers and their fans, others in the streaming community have criticized Kick for some of the content allowed on the platform. This has led to multiple reevaluations and clarifications on the part of Kick, though it continues to be a more open platform in its moderating policies than does Twitch.
Kick has also separated itself by being welcoming of
gambling and betting streams
so long as the games are played in regions in which they’re legally allowed. The platform has made additional inroads internationally and with non-English -language streams. Some of the platform’s most popular content creators, including Luis “Westcol” Alvarez, stream in Spanish or other languages besides English, and the platform has seen significant growth in Latin America and Middle Eastern regions.
Now multiple years into its operation, Kick has made it clear that the platform is in it for the long haul, and its growing number of streamers and overall users speak to that reality.
