The good ol “throw money against the wall and see if it sticks” phrase perfectly applies to what Kick is doing right now. But, mind you, the upstart streaming service isn’t just careless throwing money.
As part of its latest strategic move, Kick has made headlines again after copping Twitch’s most-watched female streamer, Amouranth.
What makes this signing even more groundbreaking is it comes just days after luring xQc to a $100 million deal.
IT’S TIME pic.twitter.com/HyKlZrggRr
— Amouranth (@Amouranth) June 17, 2023
Amouranth, a well-known variety streamer known for her sly sense of humor, boundary-pushing NSFW content, and what can only be described as “compelling” gaming and ASMR streams, was among Twitch’s biggest names. Her departure for Kick, which occurred in the midst of her seventh-anniversary celebration on Twitch, marked another shift in streaming.
While the terms of Amouranth’s contract with Kick have not been made public, the move resonates with the implications of xQc’s non-exclusive $100 million deal with the rival platform.
Twitch’s largest streamers are finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the allure of Kick’s revenue-split model, which is far more favorable to creators than Twitch’s. Kick offers a remarkable 95-5 revenue split to streamers, a far cry compared to Twitch, which, at best, can only do a 70-30 split at best but only under specific conditions.
There’s obviously growing concern among Twitch’s ranks now that two colossal staples of the platform have left for presumably greener pastures.
As Twitch rolls out policies to restrict cross-streaming between platforms, the question remains whether these big-name signings are a harbinger of a larger trend. An exodus seems imminent, as more and more streamers are leaving Twitch to “try out” Kick, lured by the platform’s impressive revenue share and the promise of better terms for creators.
However, not everything is sunshine and roses for Kick. Ed Craven, Kick’s co-founder and the co-founder of the crypto gambling site Stake.com, openly admits that Kick operates at a loss. Some theorists believe that this entire operation is a marketing ploy, a scheme to herd viewers into gambling. Kick’s meteoric rise and promising deals, they argue, are all part of an elaborate strategy funded by “gambling money”. These concerns raise questions about the platform’s long-term viability.
Despite these uncertainties, Kick’s rapid growth seems unstoppable in the short term. The recent departure of Amouranth and xQc raises questions about Twitch’s future and its ability to retain its top talent.
As it stands, Twitch may have to implement significant changes to prevent a mass exodus of streamers to Kick or pay for Kick to go belly up before it runs out of talent.
Whether Twitch will respond in time to salvage its reputation and user base remains to be seen.
