Kick co-founder Bijan Tehrani recently made bold claims about the platform's future, saying Kick aims to surpass Contraction or acquire it. Launching in late 2022, Kick was founded with the ambitious vision of challenging Twitch's dominance in the livestreaming space.
While Twitch has maintained its position as an industry leader, competitors like Mixer and Facebook Gaming have struggled to make a lasting mark. However, Kick is making notable progress, driven largely by its attractive Creator Program and more lenient community guidelines. The platform compensates streamers hourly based on factors such as stream length and viewer engagement, while streamers keep 95% of ad revenue and subscriptions, with Kick only taking a 5% cut. Additionally, Kick has signed several high-profile streamers such as Adin Ross, xQc, and Amouranth, bolstering its efforts to compete more directly with Twitch's large audience.
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One streamer pursued by Kick was Kai Cenat, who recently claimed that Kick had offered him $60 million to sign, but Trainwreck said it was $22 million a year. In a later clip shared on Twitter, Kai clarified the situation, and in response, Kick co-founder Bijan Tehrani confirmed that Kick had attempted to sign both Kai and iShowSpeed. He explained that the platform was still in its early stages, lacking key features like a mobile app, and noted that Kai and Speed ultimately chose to sign with Rumble. Additionally, Tehrani pointed out that Kick is currently focused on technology rather than big purchases, but the platform is seeing record usage and is committed to long-term growth, with the ultimate goal of “beating Twitch or buying them.”
Kick vs Twitch: The Battle for Streaming Domination
It's worth noting that a senior Twitch executive had previously commented on the competition with Kick, saying that Twitch welcomes the rivalry with enthusiasm. He said increased investment in live streaming is a strong indicator that Twitch is moving in the right direction.
While only time will determine which streaming platform will dominate in the coming years, it's worth noting that increased competition is generally a positive development for the industry. For example, when Kick initially launched, it faced considerable criticism for its lenient content guidelines, which many believed enabled problematic behavior. However, in recent months, several Kick content creators have faced bans, signaling a change in the platform's approach and its efforts to strengthen enforcement. Likewise, Twitch frequently updates its guidelines or introduces new ones to maintain its competitive edge.
