With Kick, the streaming service Twitch seems to have a serious competitor: For the first time, there is a streaming service that also makes attractive offers to controversial streamers. With Adin Ross (22), the platform has now lured one of Twitch’s top streamers away, allegedly for a lot of money. The German streamer MontanaBlack also seems to be considering a switch. In a stream on Twitch, he explains when and why a switch to Kick might be an option for him.
Who has Kick signed? Kick has exclusively signed the US streamer Adin Ross. In a video, the 22-year-old talks about having an exciting week.
He has been canceled twice and permanently banned on Twitch, but he has also signed an excellent deal (via youtube). He does not disclose the exact details of his exclusive contract with Kick.
Kick is now the #1 alternative for “controversial” streamers
What is so special about it? In the past, competitors have repeatedly lured top streamers away from Twitch.
However, these were always streamers with a “clean image” who were attractive to advertisers: TimTheTatman, Myth, Ludwig, Valkyrae, or DrLupo switched for allegedly huge sums to YouTube.
But YouTube Gaming has never lured away controversial streamers associated with gambling, vulgar language, or scandals:
- Streamers like Tfue, xQc, Tyler1, Amouranth, or Trainwreck have, as far as anyone knows, never received attractive offers from the competition, even though they are successful on Twitch.
- Although DrDisrespect streams on YouTube, but without an exclusive contract.
- Even Microsoft’s Mixer only lured stars with impeccable reputations for a lot of money from Twitch, like Ninja or shroud.
Kick is now the “first major alternative” for streamers who are controversial or associated with gambling. The general description for such streamers: “They are not brand-safe”. Major brands might have difficulties if their ads are suddenly shown in front of one of these streamers, and then they do who-knows-what.
MontanaBlack considers leaving Twitch for the first time in years
What impact does this have for MontanaBlack? The German streamer was asked in a live stream if he could also imagine switching to Kick. MontanaBlack made it clear:
- He has often thought about leaving Twitch – but after 7 years, he has never seriously considered it.
- He could have also switched to Facebook for a lot of money.
- But he needs to see prospects for himself on a new platform, to feel comfortable there.
MontanaBlack says: He needs a good chat – Kick offers it
What does MontanaBlack depend on for a switch? MontanaBlack says that for him to consider a switch, the new platform would have to compete with Twitch, especially in chat features and emotes:
For me as a streamer, at the end of the day – honestly – it doesn’t matter where I stream. If the compensation is roughly the same, then it makes no difference. Also the reach and everything […] at the end of the day, I can’t buy anything with having 5 million followers on Twitch. It’s a number and I’m proud of it – but I can’t buy anything with that.
For MontanaBlack, it is important that he streams in good quality and has a good chat and emotes. He is staring at that all the time.
Competitors like YouTube or Facebook have failed in these respects. The YouTube chat is “not nice”, the Facebook chat has “real names and profile pictures”. For the 34-year-old, it does not work at all that some Karl-Heinz tells him to find a “real job”.
The new platform Kick has a “super chat” – one must say that fairly.
MontanaBlack welcomes the fact that Twitch now has competition, as Twitch would do what they want with content creators. Like his friend Elotrix compares MontanaBlack the “salary cut” for top streamers starting summer 2023 to a situation where an employer comes and tells the employees that they will soon receive 20% less pay.
Since the sex ban in 2020, MontanaBlack sees Twitch with different eyes
Does he not like Twitch anymore? Not as much as before. MontanaBlack repeatedly emphasizes that he loves Twitch and could never imagine leaving the platform. But since an incident in November 2020, the relationship has been strained:
- At that time, MontanaBlack was temporarily banned for a “sex demonstration”.
- As he later recounted, Twitch even threatened to permanently ban him from the platform should something like that happen again.
- MontanaBlack is still annoyed by the incident because he sees the ban as unjustified. Especially since a month later, a Twitch streamer was temporarily banned for a suggestive sex show in which she stripped naked.
MontanaBlack says: Since that incident, he sees Twitch with different eyes. Something seems to have broken.
What’s behind this: MontanaBlack seems to be mentally preparing for a switch.
What he doesn’t tell the fans, but is implied: As a “controversial” streamer, he now has an attractive option for a lucrative exclusive contract with Kick.
No case is known of a controversial streamer receiving an exclusive contract: possibly DrDisrespect. However, his exclusive contract was terminated after a few months due to a ban from Twitch.
Behind Kick is the online casino Stake. This casino is known for paying streamers extremely high sums to promote gambling. Thus, the streaming service has had a “moral odor” from the start, but seems to be developing a certain allure. Kick does not seem to lack money.
For some “difficult” streamers who previously had no alternatives to Twitch, new times may be dawning:
