The streaming platform Kick, associated with Stake.com, has officially launched advertising in live streams. Almost four years after Kick’s start, it introduces a new revenue stream that could benefit both creators and brands. Previously, Kick avoided advertising: monetization for creators was based on a rewards program tied to watch time and small prize pools. However, with the platform’s growth, the introduction of ads became inevitable.
As early as December, Kick CEO Ed Craven confirmed that the company would introduce advertising “at some point” in the future. “Enjoy the absence of ads while you can,” said Craven. Now, ads on Kick have become a reality, and they arrive at a pivotal moment. The platform attracts millions of concurrent viewers on its biggest streams, with monthly viewing volume exceeding 300 million hours.
Scale and audience
In the ad launch announcement, it is noted that Kick now has over 100 million active users. This is a massive audience, and 81% of them are aged 18 to 34. Kick claims its advertising can connect brands with the hard-to-reach Generation Z, echoing arguments heard before.
“The viewer is everything on KICK. They’re not just watching in the background; they’re in the chat, they’re part of the stream,” said Ryan Webb, Kick’s head of growth and revenue. “We’ve spent over three years earning this, building a platform where creators want to stream and communities want to spend time.”
Challenges and solutions
Now that Kick has ads, the platform will have to face the same issues that cause headaches on other streaming services. For example, Twitch is forced to give streamers more control over ad breaks and manage their duration. YouTube, in turn, experiments with less intrusive ad formats.
For now, Kick responds to potential obstacles with a “wait and see” strategy. The platform asks creators to report inappropriate ads but also warns that the length of breaks may vary. For poorly timed interruptions, there is a stream rewind feature launched last year.
Gold rush
Perhaps in the future Kick will develop more refined advertising policies, but first there will be a gold rush. Creators have attracted millions of hours of attention on Kick. Now we’ll find out how much that attention is really worth.
Frequently asked questions
How will Kick deal with inappropriate ads?
Kick asks creators to report inappropriate ads but has not yet introduced strict moderation algorithms.
Will ads affect the viewing experience?
Variable breaks are expected, but the stream rewind feature will help viewers not miss important moments.
What ad formats will be used?
For now, Kick has launched standard in-stream ad inserts, similar to other platforms.
If you are a content creator or brand, now is the time to explore advertising opportunities on Kick. Contact the platform to learn the terms and start earning from audience attention.
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