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Live streaming has become a popular form of entertainment, with platforms like Twitch and YouTube Live drawing millions of viewers. However, a new player has entered the scene: Kick. This fast-growing streaming platform is making waves in the industry, and here’s everything you need to know about it.
What is Kick?
Founded in late 2022, Kick is a live streaming platform backed by Stake.com, an online gambling site that accepts cryptocurrency. Kick emerged following Twitch’s ban on gambling sites, sparking debate about the platform’s true intentions. Despite this, Kick has positioned itself as the next big live streaming platform, promising fewer ads, less censorship, and more incentives for streamers than its competitors.
Kick offers a variety of genres, including popular battle royale games like Call of Duty and Fortnite, a Just Chatting category, and other categories like V-Tubers, Music, and Digital Art. The platform can be accessed via a web browser or through its Android or iOS app.
Why is Kick Gaining Popularity?
Kick has been making headlines for its impressive signup rates and lucrative deals with popular streamers. In June 2023, Kick announced a nonexclusive two-year contract with mega streamer xQc, worth a staggering 100 million dollars. This deal has put Kick on the map, as it’s more than what some of the world’s top athletes earn.
Furthermore, Kick currently has little to no ads, a feature that has been attracting viewers frustrated with the ad-heavy experience on platforms like Twitch and YouTube Live. However, as Kick continues to grow, this ad-free experience may change.
Why are Streamers Choosing Kick Over Twitch?
The primary reasons why streamers are leaving Twitch for Kick are financial incentives and greater freedom. Kick offers a 95% to 5% revenue split, allowing streamers to keep most of their subscriber revenue. In contrast, YouTube Live offers a 70% to 30% split, while Twitch offers a 50% to 50% split to most streamers.
Kick also has less stringent content guidelines compared to Twitch, which is known for its strict rules and frequent bans. Furthermore, Kick allows gambling, a feature that appeals to many streamers but is restricted on Twitch.
The Future of Live Streaming
The emergence of Kick brings much-needed competition to the live streaming industry. If it lives up to its promises, Kick could become a platform where streamers can focus more on creating content without worrying about strict rules. However, despite the rise of Kick, Twitch remains the dominant player in the live streaming space, boasting a large number of both streamers and viewers.
As the live streaming landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how platforms like Kick shape the future of this form of entertainment.
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