Kick won’t change 95/5 split: ‘Donations are not something you should be taking money from’

The gaming world has been set ablaze by Edward Craven, CEO of the fledgling streaming platform Kick.

In the face of conventional wisdom, he has vowed to maintain Kick’s revolutionary 95/5 revenue split for creators. In an industry where platforms like Twitch command 50% and, at times, even more of a streamer’s subscription revenue, Kick’s commitment is a paradigm shift, to say the least.

To understand the full gravity of this announcement, let’s start with a quick explanation of the revenue split. Users who subscribe to a creator’s channel on a streaming platform pay a monthly fee. The revenue split refers to how this fee is divided between the creator and the platform. On Kick, the creator gets 95% of the subscription fee, while Kick takes a mere 5%. This starkly contrasts the industry norm, stirring up some serious conversations in the gaming community.

Kick vs. Twitch revenue split

Comparing Kick’s 95/5 split to the industry standard, the difference is not just noticeable but monumental. Take Twitch, for instance, which is the reigning heavyweight of game streaming platforms. Twitch operates on a 50/50 revenue split for its affiliates and partners. This means that Twitch takes half of the subscription fee revenue from its creators, unlike Kick.

Twitch recently launched its Partner Plus program, which offers a 70/30 split, but this is only available to an elite minority who can reach significant viewer milestones. Furthermore, the 70/30 split only applies to the first $100,000 made annually, after which the split reverts back to 50/50. And let’s not forget, Twitch’s 70/30 split is only possible for roughly 2.5% of active partners.

Kick’s 95/5 revenue split, on the other hand, is a flat rate offered to all creators on their platform, regardless of viewership numbers or subscription counts. This clearly sets Kick apart from the rest of the industry and sends a powerful message about its approach to revenue sharing.

Edward Craven’s promise to uphold this 95/5 split appears to be more than just a tactic to lure creators from other platforms. According to the Kick CEO, this is a fundamental aspect of their platform and is something they strongly believe in.

In an industry where creators often have to fight for their fair share, Kick’s commitment to a 95/5 split represents a seismic shift. The question that now arises is what implications this could have for content creators and, more broadly, the industry as a whole.