The Twitch streaming platform has long been a dominant force in the game industry, but it is now facing growing competition from emerging streaming sites. While Twitch has already dealt with competition from YouTube, newer platforms like Kick and Rumble are emerging as serious threats. Among them, Kick has gained significant popularity in recent months, leading many to speculate that it could eventually surpass the Amazon-owned giant. However, there are significant challenges that Kick would need to overcome in order to surpass Twitch's current position.
Kick's Recent Victories Over Twitch
Kick has been demonstrating its power since its establishment in October 2022 through its persistent attempts to recruit popular Twitch streamers. Initially, the platform acquired well-known yet controversial streamers like Adin Ross, but the caliber of creators it has acquired has significantly increased over time.
In a significant move, Kick recently grabbed attention by attracting Twitch streamers xQc and Amouranth to its platform. Sources suggest that xQc's deal with Kick could potentially earn him $100 million, highlighting the platform's strong determination to surpass Twitch. Furthermore, Kick seems to be taking advantage of Twitch's recent negative publicity, such as their 50/50 split of subscription revenue for most creators. In contrast, Kick offers its streamers a much-improved split of 95/5 in favor of the creators.
Besides this, Kick is much more flexible in allowing creators to stream on other platforms. xQc is still able to produce content on Twitch despite his obligations to Kick. With some of the most popular streamers on Twitch transitioning to Kick, the new platform is making significant progress against its primary competitor. However, surpassing Twitch may be an insurmountable challenge at its current state.
Twitch's Remaining Power Over Kick
Despite the remarkable progress Kick has achieved in the streaming arena in the last year, Twitch continues to be an incredibly challenging competitor to surpass in terms of audience size and impact. This can mainly be attributed to Twitch's longstanding dominance in the streaming industry, which plays a crucial role in its rivalry with Kick.
Twitch, originally known as Justin.tv, was founded in 2007 by Justin Kan as a side project that quickly gained popularity. It eventually evolved into one of the first dedicated livestreaming platforms in the world. In 2011, Twitch established a separate gaming division due to its immense popularity. The company was later acquired by Amazon in 2014 for a whopping $970 million. Given its nearly two decades of existence and its association with Amazon, including perks like free subscriptions through Amazon Prime, it is evident why Twitch has emerged as the most prominent platform for livestreaming.
Kick has made impressive strides in a short period, but surpassing Twitch as the dominant force in the streaming industry seems nearly impossible. With over 7 million active streamers on Twitch, the platform's influence is undeniably strong. Even if Kick were to introduce groundbreaking innovations, it would still take years for it to achieve the same level of appeal, influence, and legacy as Twitch.
