Kick Staff Discusses How the Platform is Set to Dominance in the Esports Industry

Since its launch nearly two years ago, Kick has become a significant player in the streaming industry, known for its high-profile signings and occasional controversies involving various creators. Despite the ups and downs, Kick has successfully grown into the third most popular streaming platform.

A key but less-publicized aspect of Kick’s expansion strategy is its focus on esports. At the beginning of 2024, Kick began forming partnerships with organizations like Team Secret and Bleed Esports. In April, just before DreamHack Melbourne, they announced a collaboration with ESL for their live events.

Since then, Kick has secured the streaming rights for BLAST and PGL, showcasing some of the year’s biggest Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 tournaments.

While this serves as a robust beginning, it is merely the foundation of Kick’s expansive esports strategy.

Gen.G vs BLG at MSI 2024 — Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games

It remains early in Kick’s ambitious esports journey, with aspirations for vibrant crowds on the platform.

Proving Why Kick Is the Preferred Platform for Esports

“We are committed to diversifying our esports offerings across all fronts,” Tierney stated. Their approach involves “attacking it from all angles.”

Kick aims to expand through substantial partnerships with tournament organizers, support for local esports communities, and enhancing the viewing experience to outshine competitors.

“It’s challenging to persuade viewers to switch from Twitch and YouTube to Kick without a compelling reason,” Tierney admitted. This sentiment is echoed by Riot Games’ attempt to debut their Riot Esports Network, which was discontinued as viewers remained loyal to their preferred platforms. Similarly, MLG’s streaming venture faced similar struggles.

To encourage a shift in viewership, Kick must offer compelling incentives that Twitch and YouTube do not. Currently, Kick’s major attractions include ad-free streaming and faster broadcast speeds.

The absence of ads has been a staple of Kick’s appeal and serves as a significant incentive, particularly since esports broadcasts are often inundated with advertisements.

“Users are fatigued by ads,” Tierney remarked. “For esports on Twitch, there are up to four minutes of ads every 15 minutes… It’s detrimental to the ecosystem.”

Moreover, Kick claims their broadcast speed is faster by approximately three seconds. While seemingly minor, this difference could be a decisive factor for dedicated viewers who prefer near real-time action.

DickStacy playing at the Berlin Major CS:GO — StarLadder

DickStacy exemplifies the elements that contribute to an excellent esports viewing experience, having graced the stages of major CS:GO events.

However, a notable downside, which Tierney promptly acknowledged, is the current absence of Drops on the platform. “Drops is a critical element,” he noted. “It generates immense viewership; hence, refining this feature is essential.”

To grasp the significance of Drops in esports, consider that a tier two Overwatch 2 broadcast shattered records solely because it offered a Mercy skin as a viewing reward. This underlines the viewer demand for Drops, a feature Kick has yet to implement for boosting esports viewership.

Kick’s Genuine Aspiration in Esports

Currently, Kick holds broadcast rights for Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 tournaments via BLAST and PGL. While this isn’t comprehensive, it’s a solid foundation for growth, as Tierney emphasized.

Even though they have a partnership with ESL’s DreamHack for live events, it doesn’t cover the entirety of the esports landscape. They had co-streamers for the Esports World Cup, but did not broadcast the entire event. Additionally, working with Riot games brings its own complexities, yet Kick is determined to open that door as part of a long-term strategy to include Riot titles.

As Tierney detailed, they aspire to onboard a variety of games and esports broadcasters onto Kick, aiming to become a default platform for numerous esports events.

Initially, CS2 was an obvious choice for Kick due to its “plug and play” nature, as the Valve titles are mainly organized by third-party entities rather than directly by the publishers.

CS2 remains a focal point for Kick in its early esports endeavors.

However, major FPS and MOBA games like Valorant and League of Legends are not yet part of their lineup.

Currently, as Tierney remarked, Kick is focusing on bolstering local esports scenes more than competitors like YouTube and Twitch, which may entice more tournament organizers in the future.

He pointed out Kick’s strong South American and Middle Eastern communities, where several prominent streamers hail from. Additionally, with PGL’s plans for more local tournaments, Kick aims to assist in broadcasting these events.

“We want all esports,” Tierney simply stated.

For now, Kick is gradually augmenting its presence in the esports domain, expanding game by game and tournament by tournament. However, they are making progress and are not slowing down anytime soon. As Tierney confidently stated, “We are primed for it. We are the most premium platform for esports by far at the moment.”

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