Kick copies Twitch with new chat features for viewers and mods
Twitter: Kickcrayon/KickKick’s new chat features closely resemble those available to streamers on Twitch
Kick has introduced a major chat update to its moderation system, making it easier for streamers and moderators to ban, mute and report viewers, bringing the site more in line with the standards set by Twitch.
Kick has consistently positioned itself as Twitch’s biggest competitor in the streaming industry, and frequently creates comparisons between itself with the streaming site’s 50-50 revenue split and Kick’s own 95-5 split.
However, a constant criticism that Kick has faced in the past is the lack of moderation support. It has made it clear that it wants a less restrictive Terms of Service policy than the one Twitch enforces, but this has also made it harder for streamers to monitor their community.
Kick announces “major chat update” for streamers and viewers
But now, Kick is addressing some of the concerns in the community by giving creators and moderators more tools and quality-of-life changes that can be used to control chat.
They also announced new cosmetic changes for viewers and channels, as Kick watchers can now change the colour of their name text. Channel Badges are also available to viewers, which is very reminicient of Twitch’s Chat Badge system.
Kick streamers now also have the ability to use a Slow Mode for chat, and have protection from spammed messages. Moderators will have updated chat controls, that give them faster ways to ban or timeout viewers in chat.
Kick’s annoucement also promised that more changes would come in the next 24 hours, including Chat History functions and moderation feedback for restricted viewers.
These changes bring Kick closer to the resources and support available to streamers on Twitch, adding an extra incentive to creators to move platforms. Judging by the reacctions on Twitter, the changes seem to have been well recieved.
For more news and updates on the competition between Twitch and Kick, check out our coverage of the rumors surrounding Kai Cenat after his Twitch ban.
