Kick Faces Challenges in Signing Twitch and YouTube Stars
Signing Twitch and YouTube stars has been a smooth process for Kick since its launch last year. However, co-founder Trainwreck recently expressed difficulties in negotiating contracts due to streamers exaggerating their earnings. This has led to prospective signings using these inflated numbers as a basis for their negotiations.
Trainwreck voiced his frustrations during a stream on Aug. 17, stating that this exaggeration is greatly affecting the negotiation process with other creators. While it may boost Kick’s reputation as a premier destination, it is ultimately causing more harm than good.
During negotiations, Trainwreck has been asked by streamers why others with significantly fewer followers were offered more money. In reality, these streamers are earning only a fraction of what they claim. Trainwreck did not mention any specific streamer, so any of the streamers signed by Kick could be guilty of this.
The highest earner among Kick’s streamers is xQc, who reportedly signed a $100 million deal and possibly became a co-owner in the process. Amouranth and Adin Ross are believed to be the next highest earners. As for the streamer Trainwreck was negotiating with, it remains unknown, but Dr Disrespect could be a possibility.
Despite these exaggerated numbers causing challenges in negotiations, Kick still offers the highest revenue split among platforms. With only a five percent cut from subscriber earnings, Kick is more enticing to streamers compared to Twitch and YouTube, which take 30 percent.
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Due to its attractive revenue split and other factors, Kick has successfully attracted some of the biggest streamers, even without exclusive deals, solidifying its position as a leading platform in the industry. Its latest addition is YouRAGE, who signed on Aug. 14. It will be interesting to see who else follows, especially considering Trainwreck’s ongoing negotiations.