Kick

History and Founding

Kick emerged in late 2022 as a deliberate alternative to Twitch, aiming to attract streamers frustrated by Twitch’s strict community guidelines and revenue share model. Its most notable differentiator is a 95-5 revenue split—meaning streamers keep 95% of subscription revenue—compared to Twitch’s standard 50-50 split. The platform also adopted a more permissive approach to gambling content, which had been banned on Twitch, and allowed streamers to broadcast while playing casino games or promoting gambling services. This strategy quickly drew controversy but also attracted a large audience of gambling enthusiasts. Kick Streaming Pty Ltd was incorporated on 14 November 2022, with its parent Easygo Entertainment registered on 8 November 2022. The company is owned equally by Ashwood Holdings (50%) and co-founder Bijan Tehrani (50%). Funding and operational backing come from Stake, a prominent online casino primarily serving the Australian and international markets.

Growth and Partnerships

Kick’s growth has been explosive. By mid-2023, it had signed multi-year deals with top streamers like xQc (reportedly for $100 million) and Adin Ross, who migrated from Twitch after being banned for hateful conduct. The platform also secured a title sponsorship of the Sauber Motorsport Formula One team, branding the cars as “Kick Sauber” for the 2024–2025 seasons. In March 2025, Kick launched the “Kick Road Campaign” in partnership with Streams Charts, a data analytics firm, to support streamers with fewer than 100 concurrent viewers, offering a $50,000 prize pool. Simultaneously, Kick Dev was introduced—a public API and $100,000 developer fund to encourage third-party tools and integrations.

Business Model and Monetization

Despite its growth, Kick remains unprofitable as of mid-2023, with CEO Ed Craven stating the company aims to become profitable through advertising within one to three years. The platform’s revenue model relies on its 95-5 subscription split, with Kick taking the remaining 5%, plus potential advertising and sponsorship deals. The platform’s user base skews heavily toward gambling and “degen” culture, but it also hosts gaming, music, and general live-streaming content. Kick’s mobile apps are available on Android and iOS, and the service is accessible globally via web browsers.

Moderation and Criticism

The platform’s moderation policies have drawn scrutiny: while community guidelines prohibit hate speech, doxing, and violent conduct, enforcement is perceived as lax compared to competitors. A New York Times investigation highlighted instances of streamers broadcasting illegal acts, including sexual assault and trespassing, as well as sexual content directed at minors. Critics have described Kick as a “playground for people to be degenerate.”

Market Position

As of Q3 2025, StreamCharts ranked Kick as the fourth most-watched livestreaming platform among those monitored, underscoring its rapid ascension in a market dominated by established players like Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok.