Kick’s HIDDEN Dark Plan
Summary
TLDRThe video script investigates the controversial streaming platform Kick, suggesting it was launched as a response to Twitch's censorship and revenue policies. It delves into Kick's alleged support for controversial streamers and its connections to crypto gambling site Stake.com. The script questions Kick's business model, suggesting a hidden agenda to promote gambling addiction among minors through native advertising, despite CEO Eddie Craven's claims of a commitment to community and creator revenue.
Takeaways
- 😶 Kick was launched in 2022 as an alternative to Twitch, positioning itself as a platform with less censorship and a more generous revenue share for creators.
- 🤔 The connection between Kick and the crypto gambling site Stake.com is highlighted, suggesting a potential conflict of interest due to shared ownership.
- 🚫 Twitch banned gambling streams from unlicensed sites, which led to the migration of popular gambling streamers to Kick, seeking a more lenient environment.
- 💰 Kick offers a 95/5 revenue split with creators, which is significantly more favorable than other platforms, raising questions about the platform's long-term profitability.
- 📈 The CEO of Kick, Ed Craven, claims that the platform turned a profit in Q1, but the specifics of this profit and its sustainability are not detailed.
- 🛑 There are concerns about Kick's lax moderation policies, which have allowed controversial figures and potentially illegal activities to occur on the platform.
- 📉 Advertising is identified as the main source of revenue for platforms like YouTube and Twitch, suggesting that Kick will need to adopt a similar model to remain financially viable.
- 🔒 The script raises the issue of data privacy and security, with a mention of AT&T's data breach and the use of Aura to protect personal information.
- 💡 The concept of 'native advertising' is discussed, where product placement within content is a subtle form of promotion, potentially aimed at minors through gambling streams.
- 📊 Research is cited that indicates watching gambling streams can increase cravings to gamble, suggesting that Kick's content may contribute to problematic gambling behaviors.
- 🚷 Kick's CEO discusses the platform's commitment to not showing intrusive ads, but the script implies that this might be misleading given the native advertising practices.
Q & A
What is the primary concern regarding the platform Kick?
-The primary concern is that Kick, like Rumble, is seen as a platform that allows controversial streamers to operate with minimal censorship and may be promoting gambling addiction, especially among younger audiences, through native advertising of its associated gambling site, Stake.
Who are the Australian billionaires behind the launch of Kick?
-Australian billionaires Ed Craven and Bejan Terani launched Kick in 2022. They are also the co-owners of the crypto gambling site Stake.com.
What was the reason cited by Ed Craven for starting Kick?
-Ed Craven claims that Kick was started to give creators a larger revenue share and to act as a bastion of free speech, similar to Rumble, and to address frustrations that creators have had with other platforms.
How does Kick's revenue model differ from traditional platforms?
-Kick offers a 95/5 revenue split with its creators, which is more generous compared to traditional platforms. However, the platform's long-term profitability is questioned, as it relies heavily on advertising and has high operational costs.
What is the controversy surrounding Twitch's ban on gambling streams?
-Twitch banned gambling streams from unlicensed sites, which affected platforms like Stake. This ban led to the migration of popular gambling streamers to Kick, which was launched just a month after the ban.
What is the relationship between Train Rex TV and Stake?
-Train Rex TV is a popular gambling streamer who moved to Kick after Twitch's ban. He has a close relationship with Stake, as evidenced by leaked Discord messages discussing the continuation of gambling activities on the platform.
What is the criticism regarding Kick's moderation policies?
-Critics argue that Kick's moderation policies are lax, allowing for hate speech and other inappropriate behaviors to occur on the platform. This has led to a reputation as a 'Wild West' for controversial streamers.
What is the significance of native advertising in the context of Kick and Stake?
-Native advertising involves integrating advertisements within the content in a way that is not immediately apparent to the viewer. Kick is accused of using native advertising through gambling streams to subtly promote Stake, potentially leading to gambling addiction among viewers.
How does Kick's CEO, Eddie Craven, respond to concerns about the platform's role in promoting gambling?
-Eddie Craven emphasizes that Kick is listening to the community and trying to be receptive to concerns. He assures that they are working on creating a safe environment and that they do not tolerate hate speech.
What is the potential impact of Kick's business model on the future of live streaming platforms?
-The business model of Kick, which includes a high revenue split for creators and a reliance on advertising, may not be sustainable in the long run. It could face challenges similar to other platforms if it does not adapt to the realities of the market and the demands of advertisers.
Why is there skepticism about Kick's claim of profitability in Q1?
-Skepticism arises because Kick's business model, with its high operational costs and generous revenue share, does not seem to align with traditional profit-making strategies for streaming platforms, suggesting that any claimed profitability may be due to external investments rather than organic revenue.
Outlines
😶 Controversial Origins of Kick
The paragraph delves into the contentious beginnings of the streaming platform Kick, suggesting it was not just a response to Twitch's censorship and revenue policies, but also had a darker side. It posits that Kick, like Rumble, is a platform that allows controversial streamers to act with impunity, with staff even supporting and donating to them. The paragraph also hints at a connection between Kick and the crypto gambling site Stake.com, suggesting a broader operation to attract underage viewers and potentially encourage gambling addiction.
💸 The Financial Infeasibility of Free Speech Platforms
This paragraph examines the financial model of Kick, questioning the sustainability of its 95/5 revenue split with content creators. It discusses the platform's reliance on advertising as a primary source of income and compares it to other platforms like YouTube and Twitch. The speaker doubts the profitability of Kick, especially considering the costs of hosting high-profile streamers and the lack of a mature advertising base. The paragraph also touches on the challenges of content moderation and the influence of advertisers on platform policies.
📢 The Hidden Advertising Tactics of Kick and Stake
The paragraph uncovers the alleged tactics used by Kick and Stake to promote gambling through native advertising within live streams. It criticizes the platform's CEO, Eddie Craven, for his claims of not running intrusive ads while simultaneously engaging in native advertising deals with popular streamers. The paragraph raises concerns about the potential for addiction and the targeting of underage audiences, citing research on the effects of gambling live streams on viewer cravings.
🚫 Addressing Inappropriate Content and the Future of Kick
This paragraph addresses the community's concerns about inappropriate content on Kick and the platform's response to such issues. It discusses instances of ban evasion and the platform's communication with controversial figures like Aiden. The speaker also challenges the CEO's statements about the independence of Kick from Stake, highlighting the shared ownership and high conversion rates between the two platforms. The paragraph concludes with a critique of Kick's moderation policies and its potential impact on the platform's reputation and user safety.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Censorship
💡Revenue Share
💡Controversial Streamers
💡Gambling Streams
💡Native Advertising
💡Free Speech
💡Hate Speech
💡Content Moderation
💡Live Streaming
💡Advertising Revenue
💡Data Brokers
Highlights
Kick was launched as an alternative platform for controversial streamers, with a focus on free speech and less censorship.
Kick's founders, Australian billionaires Ed Craven and Bejan Terani, are also co-owners of crypto gambling site Stake.com, suggesting a connection between the two platforms.
Twitch's ban on gambling streams from unlicensed sites in September 2022 led to the launch of Kick, which was seen as a response to this policy change.
Streamer Train Rex TV's move to Kick was motivated by poor revenue splits from Twitch, and he is closely associated with Stake, indicating a potential conflict of interest.
Kick's CEO, Eddie Craven, claims the platform offers a 95/5 revenue split with creators, which is significantly more generous than other platforms.
Kick's business model is primarily based on advertising, with the platform expecting to become profitable through strategic partnerships and not through revenue splits.
The platform's lax moderation policies have led to a rise in hate speech and other controversial content, raising concerns about the platform's impact on its community.
Kick's relationship with Twitch is complex, with the former paying Amazon (Twitch's owner) for AWS server hosting, highlighting potential financial dependencies.
Eddie Craven discusses the misconceptions around live streaming costs, suggesting that the expenses are not as high as commonly believed.
Kick's CEO addresses concerns about the platform's ties to gambling, stating that while there are shared shareholders, the platforms operate independently.
The platform's approach to moderation is criticized for being insufficient, with examples of harmful behavior going unchecked by the platform's policies.
Kick's CEO discusses the potential for advertising on the platform, suggesting that native advertising through streamer contracts could be a powerful tool for promotion.
Research indicates that watching gambling live streams can increase cravings for gambling, raising concerns about the impact of Kick's native advertising strategy.
Kick's CEO denies that the platform is a funnel for Stake, despite evidence of a high conversion rate between the two platforms.
The transcript raises ethical concerns about the platform's potential to normalize and encourage gambling among younger audiences through streamer content.
The platform's commitment to free speech is questioned, with examples of controversial figures using Kick to spread harmful ideologies without significant repercussions.
The transcript concludes with a critical view of Kick's business practices and ethical stance, suggesting that the platform's success may come at a social cost.
Transcripts
many people believe kick was started as
an answer to twitch's censorship Banning
or unfair 50% Revenue take the truth is
much more Sinister as will examine kick
much like rumble's answer to YouTube
Prides itself on letting controversial
streamers get away with whatever they
want kick staff supports them and even
donates to them after they are caught
doing inappropriate things Riot is
friends with them BR has kick on his
side oh God I got Andre on my side if
hate speech wasn't enough kick has
recruited streamers known for their
anti-woman tie raides bullying and
preference for minors F gu
[Music]
good stories of doxing illegal filming
and reckless endangerment are just the
tip of the iceberg under the surface
lies a fullscale operation designed to
get kids addicted to gambling what's
their hidden plan to accomplish this
let's examine the
evidence Australian billionaires Ed
Craven and bejan terani launch kick in
2022 they are also the co-owners of
crypto gambling sit stake.com an
important connection as you'll see in a
minute but why did you then start kick
we had the ability to to speak with a
lot of these creators we understood
their frustrations I think the
frustrations with other platforms has
been going on for a while now Ed Craven
claims that Ki was started to give
creators more Revenue share and act as a
Bastion of free speech similar to rumble
he denies any direct ties from stake to
kick though that claim appears extremely
weak in September 2022 twitch announced
they were Banning gambling streams from
unlicensed sites the unlicensed part is
key here the site which is owned by
Amazon announced it will update its
policies beginning October 18 to
prohibit streaming of gambling websites
that include Lots roulette or dice games
from unlicensed operators specifically
identifying four sites stake roll bit
dual bits and rubet stake.com
technically has a license in curaco but
this license is not recognized by the
United States due to caca's LAX
regulation twitch continues to allow
sports betting presumably due to its
widening popularity and official
Licensing in many US states while sports
betting may include games of skill
rather than chance the lines are often
blurred when the marketing implies a
higher chance of success kick was
launched just a month after the twitch
ban coincident
press X to doubt streamer train Rex TV
took to Twitter to explain his move to
kick train Rex TV cites poor Revenue
splits from twitch as the reason for
heading over to kick but he is one of
the most popular gambling streamers so
he had a lot to lose from the gambling
ban Stak stood to lose even more and it
appears train Rex TV has a close
relationship with stake owner Eddie in a
leaked Discord DM between xqc and train
Rex TV he talks about gambling e legally
on stake I hired a cryptographer to
decode this blurry mess xqc can we play
one more day train Rex TV ask Eddie if
he says yes you have to make a new stake
account he has to ban the other one then
you have to play on full screen and
block screen in between games you cannot
show you're on stake at all that's why
Canada needs to happen ASAP next you
need to let me or Eddie know if you're
down and win I'm leave for Canada on
Friday keep that low though don't want
my stalkers to F with me also bro let me
know what you want to do Eddie keeps
bugging me about it despite being nearly
impossible to read it does appear that
train Rex TV and xqc were gambling
illegally on stream and according to to
train wrex Eddie was aware of this it's
one thing for people to gamble illegally
that happens all the time it's another
story for streamers with thousands of
viewers to do it with the casino owner
being aware of this practice the second
promise of a free speech streaming
platform led to a new Wild West for
controversial streamers doing whatever
it takes for views and attention they
pay lip service to content moderation
through short temporary bans but that's
about it sadly that position has led to
some horrible and in several cases
illegal acts going down toxic chats and
trolls will always find their place on
the internet but these streamers set the
bad examples and egg them on let's break
all this down in an interview with CEO
Eddie Craven the whole concept of of
kind of Dipping into that subsites
that's kind of unfair right we we don't
think that a platform you know just a
platform that simply curates other
people's content deserves a right to
kind of take a split of people's
revenues a aren't they so generous they
give a 955 split with their creators
they believe In fairness I hate being a
cynic but I've never seen a billionaire
give away a bunch of money without
getting something in return charitable
donations get tax writeoffs and here it
seems the 955 split is just a way to
siphon off creators from twitch and get
their loss leader funnel off the ground
at the moment for KI we are we're
definitely looking more towards
advertising down the line as being the
primary sort of business model honestly
right now so Ki has only been around for
for you know three to four months right
we saw we saw profit in q1 we saw profit
in q1 just through one strategic
partnership Eddie claims kick turned a
profit in q1 but that may have just been
stak's investment because it doesn't
make sense any other way kick much like
Rumble can't be profitable as a free
speech platform the math just doesn't
math the unfortunate reality is that in
today's internet landscape it's the
advertisers who pay the bills they are
the actual clients of platforms like
YouTube and twitch and this is why we
are seeing more censorship than ever
moderation in some respects is good but
no matter how far it goes it's
ultimately not up to us the viewers the
money just won't follow and these Free
Speech platforms will be crushed under
the weight of their operational expenses
Twitter has lost almost half its
advertising Revenue since Elon Musk took
over and changing the name to X
certainly didn't help either kick
changes its moderation to match twitch
or it will suffer the same fate
advertising is the fuel that keeps these
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free trial how amazing is that the
biggest misconception with live
streaming is the fact that you know it's
extremely expensive don't get me wrong
it's expensive the servers required to
to make that happen are expensive
there's no doubt but not nearly as
expensive as I think people assume them
to be is that actually true though kick
ironically pays Amazon the owner of
twitch for its AWS servers to host kick
streaming according to AWS documents
approximately 10,000 viewers for a
1-hour live event using a highdefinition
1080p encoding profile is approximately
$1,500 for the 1hour event 21 20 20 20
20 20 22 20 20 20 22 20 20 21 bro
there's no way I did that this much so
he streams for an estimated 27 hours per
month with an estimated average of
21,000 live viewers this would be $1,500
* 2 for 20,000 viewers equals $33,000
for a 1hour live event then $3,000 * 270
hours equals $810,000 per month just to
host xqc on AWS so kick will pay almost
a million dollar per month to host xqc
and offer him a 955 split and
advertisers that are not yet signed to
the platform are supposed to somehow
make this company profitable kick isn't
definitely not owned by stake in that
capacity uh we share some similar
shareholders you know myself included
but you know there are there are
individuals key individuals that are you
know heavily involved in both this is a
crafty way to weasle out of the question
it's a distinction without a difference
technically stake does not own kick but
if both stake owners also own kick what
is the actual difference listen you can
quote me on this right now similar to
how I said we're never going to take
away the 955 subit we will not start
running stake ads throughout kick in the
form of pre-rolls or mid rolls or any of
those kind of advertising methods notice
he says very specifically that kick will
not run ads throughout kick in the form
of pre-rolls or midrolls or on the
website front page what he conveniently
leaves out is that stake has already
signed contracts with numerous
high-profile kick streamers to gamble on
stake during their live streams this is
a form of advertising called native
advertising and is one of the most
effective forms of advertising because
the viewer doesn't even realize he or
she is being advertised to it's clearly
designed to get kids addicted to
gambling before they are even old enough
to use the site I think a big part about
kick is listening to the community
understand what they're concerned about
you know trying to be receptive and by
all means if we started doing that I
think that would cause you know a lot
more problems than what it's worth Eddie
constantly goes back to his appeal to
the community to try to build trust and
give them cover when in reality his
promises ring Hollow you know stake as
it is a successful business that doesn't
need to to have intrusive ads to to you
know continue working here Eddie gives
away the game he mentions intrusive ads
while knowing his real goal is native
ads I think the biggest misconception
with live streaming is the expenses
associated with it you know we we don't
expect kick to be profitable you know
for at least sort of a two three years
we don't have the numbers but seeing as
many people still believe YouTube isn't
profitable with its 2.4 billion monthly
active users due to exorbitant server
costs it's hard to believe that twitch
is profitable at on10th the size will
have to roll out ads at some point but
you know the way we roll out ads this is
a big sort of theory we have here is we
think that it can be done more
efficiently twitch is now owned by
Amazon whether it's huis or stupidity
believing you can execute advertising
more effectively than Amazon is just a
ridiculous claim not to mention thinking
that advertisers will actually come to
kick with its current lacks moderation
we don't want to be on the wrong side of
incorrect policy and you know I think
this is a really big part about sort of
moderation had some really productive
chats with Aiden when there has been
elements of controversy and you know we
we like to think that we we we've
definitely made
progress I said there are NPCs and I'm
every shot what can I say it in front of
you I mean bro that's what you want to
say yeah yeah yeah he's not yo that's
not him but I'm every there's been a lot
of people that have subsequently talked
down on kick you know because of the
fact that some streamers have used a
service we want to avoid heavily
promoting or heavily pushing content
which may be deemed to be inappropriate
inappropriate is an understatement under
the cover of jokes these guys do some
disgusting things Mike I'm just looking
out for you I don't we don't like
teenage girls I do so leave I love them
and another one wait listen how old old
are you I'm 19 oh I'm 16 you said
18 yeah yeah you're 18 yeah yeah oh cool
all right so um I don't see an issue
here they went so overboard that even
kick had to give them the boot that's
like getting kicked out of a trump rally
for carrying too many guns we hear these
complaints loud and clear we understand
we have to address them we have to make
sure that we create a safe environment
safe environment how about some hidden
camera invasion of
privacy we are in communication specific
Al with Aiden we have spoken about the
issues that have occurred and i' like to
think that we can find a way forward
what do y want to watch on bro the you
want to watch on here bro I don't
support Hayden's just one example out of
many I think a lot of platforms and
social media go ahead and they kind of
just ban people out of the blue and and
and just remove their access and don't
give them much explanation and we like
to think that by communicating and
giving people a fair chance can
sometimes lead to them you know making
the correct change yeah I'm sure this
girl needs an explanation for why she
was banned you should just jump in right
now
oh you told me to jump in I didn't tell
you to jump in yes you did I can't swim
I can only BL she say she's drowning D
she's drowning in the lake God there's a
fire truck here Natalie thought it would
be entertaining to offer $20 to a woman
to jump into a lake after the lady said
she couldn't swim immediately after the
woman jumps in Natalie and her friends
flee the scene failing to even call 911
shortly thereafter the fire department
arrives to save the woman these people
are so disconnected from The Real World
that they treat Strangers Like props and
actually she hasn't even been banned
from kick yet what a surprise I think
just pulling a switch and banning
someone's Channel without even speaking
to them isn't typically going to change
the way they act we don't want to be
known as a place where people can come
and just say anything they want and get
away with it hate speech for example
that's something we don't tolerate at
all internet Warrior what's your name
what's what's your first name what's
your first
name years
old I swear to God
ass gap in her teeth I
want I can't tell but neon neon she just
said she was a man and now she live up
to a girl I'm disgusted bro um I
genuinely hope someone comes to your
house and in the head you hippo
you this how wake up like that if if
there is hate speech within somebody's
chat and it gets reported to their
correct Avenues even toxicity that that
breaches the guidelines breaches policy
you know we are on top of that religion
is a scam and the only reason you exist
in this decade is because your attacks
right off there you go what do you do
fly a plane in one of my buildings if
you go to kick right now you're not
going to get pre-rolls with steak ads
you're not going to see that if if you
go to any other social media platform
you're going to get a lot more gambling
ads than you get on Kick right now I can
assure you right now you are going to be
much more prone to to forming a gambling
habit through advertisements if you're
on another platform This Is A boldface
Lie native advertising through gambling
streams is just as if not more addicting
researchers Raymond woo and others at
the center for gambling research at UBC
outlined these risks in their paper
effects of watching gambling live
streams on Cravings in gamblers their
research found that watching gambling
streams evoke significant Cravings in
viewers to gamble some viewers claim
their motive to watch gambling streams
was to reduce their desire to gamble but
researchers found the opposite they
found that those who watch gambling
streams with the motive to reduce their
gambling actually correlated with more
problematic gambling and the irony was
not lost on me that they used an image
of Aiden Ross in their presentation I
would almost debate the kick could be
valued at a higher amount than stake
even this is bigger than stake this
claim is laughable and might be his
biggest lie of all as stake reported
$2.6 billion in Revenue last year
doubling in just two years and is now
the seventh largest gambling company in
the world even eclipsing giants like
DraftKings meanwhile twitch earned
roughly the same amount as stake with
10x the user base of kick and you can
bet that stake is more profitable than
twitch with drastically lower server and
operational costs and this is just
referring to Vue we don't know what the
actual profits are because Amazon keeps
twitch's financials Under Wraps but kick
eclipsing stake and profit with a 955
split and wild west style moderation is
just as much of a fantasy as that only
fans girl falling in love with you it is
not a final to stake or a extension of
steak by any means stake exists
independently of kick and kick will one
day hopefully be our our main priority
like kick and steak are completely
unmarried from one another but it
actually is really devastating uh there
is a 2.5% % conversion rate uh between
stake and kick 2.5 is incredibly high
for websites claiming that kick is not a
funnel for stake is extremely hard to
believe when stake has signed numerous
kick streamers to very lucrative deals
to stream gambling on Kick train Rex TV
confirmed his exclusive deal to gamble
during streams my deal is only
exclusivity that's it it's when I gamble
I gamble on their site Eddie confirms
that Drake deal has been profitable for
stake then goes on to discuss plans for
Drake to stream more on kick it was a
successful campaign I think we did see
an Roi we're speaking with Drake
actually a few hours before this stream
actually and and maybe maybe toying with
the idea of of doing some streams sort
of when he was backstage or and I think
that's what makes live streaming so
powerful from a marketing perspective I
think when it's done correctly and you
actually pair up a an influencer or a
Creator who genuinely loves a product
and has reach that's when you have this
perfect stor of being able to actually
sell a product and this is what I think
is a little bit more powerful than just
your traditional pre-rolls Eddie gives
away the real game here EXP exping how
Native advertising will be far more
profitable for stake than pre-roll ads
and allow stake to hide their
advertising on the kick website within
the content as product placement there
was incredible amounts of money that
that was being bet at any given moment I
think personally I I don't believe was
good for anybody I don't condone that at
all I think that was something which
attracted unneeded attention really
Eddie you want us to believe that you
prefer less money be bet on stake
despite Eddie's brilliant positioning of
good cop CEO and masterfully spinning
kicks PR the dirty truth of kick is its
hidden purpose to get kids addicted to
gambling by advertising stake natively
through streamer contracts it gets to
hide in plain sight it won't be labeled
on the website nor pushed through
pre-roll ads it will be natively fed to
Children through streamer content I'm
fully aware that gambling especially
sports betting is going mainstream and
there's nothing wrong with letting an
adult make personal decisions but it's a
very risky Endeavor that should be
reserved for adults it's well known that
most viewers who watch streamers for
hours on end are children and teens I'd
rather they just cover the entire site
in stake at so at least parents would
know their child is on a gambling
website kick is currently one of the
most toxic spaces on the internet even
if they clean it up as their CEO
promises to do their underground
gambling pipeline will remain I'd rather
twitch out than kick it with these guys
thanks for watching
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