Twitch CEO: Kick made a “complete mistake” by poaching top streamers

During a recent conversation with a creator, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy called out his platform’s biggest rival. The boss of the Amazon-owned hub said that Kick made a “complete mistake” by prioritizing high-profile streamer signings over “long-term stable” growth.

Clancy’s comments came during an interview with NateGentile7, who invited Twitch’s CEO onto his stream on June 13. On the subject of Kick, Clancy pointed to a strategy he believes to be counterproductive. By promising creators that its streams are paved with gold (and paying them huge lump sums), Kick was able to recruit big names like Amouranth and xQc.

Those signings built buzz for Kick during its early days, but Clancy wondered about the moves Kick wasn’t making as it brought in those high-profile stars. “I think it is a complete mistake to say, ‘The live stream market is fixed, I’m just going to take what the other guy has,'” Clancy told NateGentile7.

Rather than targeting the top 1% of streamers, Kick should institute policies that prevent those stars from coming “right back” to Twitch when their contracts expire, according to Clancy. The Twitch CEO pointed to platforms like Mixer and YouTube, which handed out exclusive contracts to streamers but struggled to retain that talent. Some Kick stars, such as BruceDropEmOff, have already returned to Twitch

“As soon as [Kick] stops paying them, they’re going to come right back,” Clancy said. “That happened with Mixer, that happened with YouTube. They were paid, and then they came right back.”

Ironically, many of the big names that signed with Kick did so because they felt that Twitch wasn’t adequately serving their career goals. Twitch’s clashes with creators drove signups on Kick, and the latter platform did follow up that surge by attempting to serve the long tail of its creator community. Its Creator Incentive Program has served as a vehicle for investing in homegrown talent.

Despite Clancy’s claims, streamers may be returning to Twitch because of its own improvements rather than Kick’s faults. Twitch’s investment in creator products have included new formats, landmark deals with music labels, and platform-wide tentpoles. Clancy’s personal charm offensive has also helped win back some favor among streamers of all sizes. A more detailed rundown of Twitch’s 2024 plans can be found in a roadmap Clancy published at the start of the year.