Just days after his debut on the new streaming platform Kick, controversial streaming personality Felix “xQc” Lengyel is already stirring the pot by streaming copyrighted content. After being warned for airing the movie The Dark Knight, he’s now watching the iconic show Breaking Bad, raising questions about the long-term viability of his recent blockbuster deal with Kick.
Not long after signing a lucrative two-year deal worth $70 million (with an additional $30 million in performance-based bonuses), xQc, formerly a Twitch powerhouse, is already testing Kick’s policies and patience. He started his tenure on the new platform by streaming The Dark Knight, an action that violated Kick’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) policy. A Kick moderator stepped in, prompting xQc to go offline abruptly.
However, it seems that this intervention was not sufficient to deter the streamer. Just days after the incident with The Dark Knight, xQc once again pushed the boundaries of Kick’s policies by streaming the popular television series Breaking Bad.
The DMCA, enacted in 1998, protects platforms like Kick from liability if users upload copyrighted material, provided they cooperate with takedown requests from copyright holders. Despite xQc’s claim that he moved to Kick for the freedom it offered compared to Twitch, the platform does have rules and moderation, and it seems that he is already finding out just how far he can push those boundaries.
Observers on Twitter have speculated about xQc’s intentions, with some wondering if the streamer is intentionally trying to get banned from Kick. Others suggest that he’s trying to navigate and exploit the “Wild West” that the new streaming platform represents. It’s also possible that the 27-year-old is just trying to see how far he can push the envelope without consequences.
While this type of behavior from xQc might not be surprising given his past antics and his love of chaos, it’s an early challenge to Kick’s moderation policies and its approach to copyright infringement. The newly launched platform has been aggressive in its recruitment of big names like xQc, luring them away from established platforms like Twitch with generous contracts and favorable revenue splits.
Whether this is simply xQc’s controversial personality shining through, or a strategic move to test Kick’s limits remains to be seen. However, it’s clear that this new phase of his streaming career is already off to an eventful start. It will be interesting to see how Kick handles this situation, and whether xQc’s antics will continue to push the boundaries, or if he will conform to the platform’s DMCA policies.
