Kick takes another stab at Twitch as disgruntled streamer reveals “disgusting” Hype Chat split
Kick/TwitchKick and YouTube have been competing for top streaming talent.
Budding streaming platform Kick has taken yet another opportunity to mock its biggest rival in Twitch after a streamer on the purple brand lashed out at the “disgusting” revenue split for a new Hype Chat feature.
The streaming platform wars have been reinvigorated in 2023. Where in previous years we saw the likes of Mixer, Facebook Gaming, and YouTube Gaming all jockeying to take the mantle from Twitch, Kick now serves as the platform’s biggest rival.
From blockbuster partnerships with the internet’s biggest streaming stars to a far more lucrative revenue share with its content creators, many have seen the appeal and been drawn over to the newer platform.
Naturally, looking to strike a blow at the Amazon-backed brand any chance it gets, Kick is always on the lookout for ways to one-up its competition. This is exactly what happened on July 18, shortly after a disgruntled Twitch streamer hit out at the platform’s new Hype Chat feature.
As revealed back in June, Hype Chat on Twitch functions all but identically to Super Chat on YouTube. Viewers can pay a certain amount to have their messages “stand out in chat,” with a portion of the payment going directly to the streamer.
Only Twitch Partners have access to this feature at this point in time, though not all are over the moon with their split of the revenue.
After having a fan spend $85 on a Hype Chat message, Aussie Twitch streamer Tahlia revealed she only pocketed “$35” of the full amount. “Find me on [Kick] from now on. I’m done with Twitch, I’m livid,” she said.
Before long, Kick’s official Twitter account joined the conversation, mocking its rival as you might expect. “Doesn’t sound very hype.”
Appealing to the disgruntled streamer, and anyone else in a similar position, they teased the addition of their own ‘Mega Chat’ feature “coming soon” to Kick. Though rather than taking the same cut as Twitch, Kick promised a 95/5 split, giving individual streamers the bulk of the revenue.
While we’re yet to see this exact feature implemented on Kick, the platform has indeed been true to its word thus far. Streamers on the platform currently enjoy the same 95/5 revenue split on all subscriptions, a considerable amount more than the average Twitch Partner on a 50/50 split.
