Twitch CEO Accuses Competing Platform Kick of “Downright Copying the Site”

Twitch CEO Dan Clancy criticizes Kick for “downright copying the site” while addressing competition in the live-streaming industry.

Twitch CEO Daniel "Dan " Clancy
Dan Clancy in his stream (Image via @DJClancy/Twitch)

During an interview with FastCompany, Twitch CEO Daniel “Dan” Clancy has accused competing platforms of copying Twitch. In the interview, Dan stated that TikTok was the only platform that did not copy Twitch. Whereas YouTube made Twitch on YouTube, as did Facebook.

Clancy stated that Kick just “downright copied the site.” Twitch was launched on June 6, 2011, and has had steady competition from YouTube and Facebook. However, the site faced major competition from Kick, which was launched in 2022. In his interview, Dan stated:

“TikTok was the first platform that didn’t just copy Twitch. YouTube just made Twitch on YouTube. Facebook just made Twitch on Facebook. Kick downright copied the site.”

Dan Clancy streams on Twitch, where he has over 63.6K followers and primarily hosts Just Chatting streams. He noted that many streamers, including Ludwig, LilyPichu, and DrLupo, migrated to other platforms but always wanted to return to Twitch. Clancy claimed that LilyPichu eagerly awaited the end of her YouTube contract so she could make her way back to Twitch. Dan says that Twitch gives not only streamers, but also their viewers, a sense of belonging at home:

“LilyPichu is the best example, because she liked the fact that she was getting this check, but she was so looking forward to the day when the contract ended, because then she could come back, It’s because of that sense of belonging and home. That’s not just for their viewers, it’s also for them.”

Notably, several streamers have started multi-streaming on different platforms and have had great results. Recently, Ludwig has also started multi-streaming after his return to Twitch. What makes Kick attractive is their revenue split, which is 95:5. Kick also has their incentive program known as KCIP. Kick has claimed that the incentive program has paid over $40 million.

What Else Did Dan Clancy Say About Kick?

Clancy spoke on Kick’s moderation and how Twitch won’t follow in the footsteps of Kick. He stated that despite the competition from Kick in terms of looser moderation, Twitch will not loosen their moderation.

Several livestream viewers have stated that streamers have switched platforms due to Kick’s moderation being lenient. However, Clancy denied this, stating that Kick had offered streamers contracts that paid them more than they would have earned through organic streaming.

“I think every single one of them were given a contract where they were making a lot more money than they would organically make.”

Kick’s head of strategic partnerships, Andrew Santamaria, commented on Dan’s statements and invited the FastCompany journalist for a chat on Kick Talk. He wrote that Kick moves the needle in favor of the creator.


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