Kai Cenat & IShowSpeed join Rumble for exclusive livestreaming show

Two of Twitch and YouTube’s biggest stars, Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed, are joining forces for a new, and exclusive, livestreaming deal on Rumble. The pair, for now, will still continue to stream on their own platforms too, but this deal could be a sign of things to come.

Kai Cenat is currently the fourth most-subscribed to streamer on Twitch, and still holds the record for the most subs at one time. Equally, IShowSpeed commands a massive audience on YouTube, while he continues to serve a permanent ban from Twitch.

Despite their success, the pair have faced repeated moderation actions against their accounts. Speed is believed to be on his ‘final strike’ on YouTube following previous bans. His most recent came on February 27, for “spam or deceptive practices.”

And for Kai, despite his hugely successful subathon, where he broke the sub record, his channel was banned for seven days after a GTA stream. He threatened to leave the platform if banned again.

For now, neither streamer is leaving their platform permanently, but have agreed a deal with Rumble for an exclusive livestream show together. Sources told Dexerto that they are also still in discussions for a possible longer-term contract too, but nothing is finalized yet.

Speed & Kai’s Rumble deal

The pair are currently unable to stream together on Twitch due to Speed’s permanent ban. Kai actually attempted to negotiate Speed’s unban with Twitch, but was unsuccessful, according to Dexerto sources. The pair are good friends, who recently collaborated on a song together.

As a result, they will now team up on Rumble, where they can stream together with no concerns. For now, the plan is only to host a handful of these exclusive shows per month, with their regular content remaining on Twitch and YouTube.

The streamers will have total control of their content on Rumble, with the platform sticking to their values of creative freedom. The first exclusive livestream show will take place on May 26, and is officially called The Kai ‘N Speed Show.

In the official announcement, Kai said “Being able to have full creative control was important for us,” said Kai Cenat. “I’m grateful that we get to do what we always do and combine audiences on a new level with Rumble.”

“We are very excited to partner with Rumble on this show,” added IShowSpeed. “We know our fans are going to love what we have in the works, a few surprises, plus it’s always a crazy time when me and Kai are together.”

YouTube: IShowSpeed

Rumble as a platform has previously offered refuge to creators who feel persecuted elsewhere, including Andrew Tate, SteveWillDoIt, Sneako, and Leafy. However, as a result, the platform is now stigmatized as a place for controversial creators, whose views or actions have been deemed unfit for some of the more established sites, namely Twitch and YouTube.

Although Speed and Kai have certainly had their controversies, neither have been exiled from their platforms and continue to be immensely popular. Rumble is aware of its perception, and the signings of Kai and Speed can be seen as a move to appeal to a wider audience of young fans.

What is Rumble?

Rumble is a video and livestreaming platform that explicitly positions itself as an alternative to rivals by being “immune to cancel culture.”

“We are for people with something to say and something to share, who believe in authentic expression, and want to control the value of their own creations,” Rumble’s CEO Chris Pavlovski states.

Intended or not, this vision has led to Rumble being perceived as a haven for those creators whose views or actions are unacceptable on other platforms and so are banned.

Most infamously, Andrew Tate joined Rumble in August 2022. Explaining the decision at a time when Tate was being banned by the majority of social platforms, Pavlovski said, “Providing a platform for people to speak freely is essential. We are going to do whatever it takes to hold the line for free speech, whether we agree or disagree with what’s said.”

According to one source with knowledge of Kai and Speed’s deal, Rumble is keen to start competing with Twitch and Kick in livestreaming. Twitch in particular is facing steep competition, and in some cases failing to hold on to their biggest names.

Rumble will be keen to broaden their audience, perhaps moving away from the older, right-leaning perception the platform has gained due to some of its other big names, which has even included former US President Donald Trump.

It remains to be seen how Speed and Kai’s relationship with Rumble blossoms. The pair, along with other big streamers from Twitch and YouTube, are also in talks with Kick, the Stake-backed livestreaming platform, according to Dexerto sources, about a potential deal.

Any deal with Kick would involve a fee and payment for the move, whereas Rumble is a CPM-based offering, where earnings are based on viewership and other incentives.