Kick Owner Addresses Concerns That Kick Viewership Is Inflated

As you are probably all aware by now, Kick has burst onto the scene in recent months. Up til now, it has been the topic of a lot of praise but not without controversy.

There is good reason to believe that they can compete with major streaming platforms such as their main competitor Twitch. However some have criticized the platform for being the place where cancelled people turn to such as Adin Ross.

One streamer took to Twitter accusing the platform of inflating their own viewership with viewbots. This would mean that it may appear a large number of people are watching a live stream but only a fraction of these views are represented by real people.

Does @KickStreaming viewbot…its own streamers?

I was in the top 10 of the Music category streaming a countdown clock with no music… to 40 people who weren't talking 🤔 pic.twitter.com/38ZopWz0C0

— CodyRiffs (@CodyRiffs) April 7, 2023

In this particular example, this streamer feels it is very unlikely that this many people will be watching the stream, as well as being present in the chat section without typing anything. Does he have a point?

This tweet went viral, so obviously needed addressing which is why Kick co-owner Eddie Craven felt the need to respond.

I appreciate the constructive feedback in the video. We’re working on all points you addressed already 🙂

Kick, according to well respected sites such as similarweb, had over 58m visitors in March alone. Compared to “only” 3m registered accounts. Majority of our traffic is still…

— Eddie (@StakeEddie) April 9, 2023

In this response he is suggesting that many viewers would be viewing Kick without an account and since he was trending in the top 10, he would naturally attract a lot of attention. The bulk of these views don’t necessarily need to come from people who intend on watching the stream and being part of the community.

Why Would It Benefit Kick To Inflate Viewership?

There are many reasons why content creators will want to inflate their viewership. First of all, they want to give of the impression of being hugely successful. In this instance if a streamer was on the fence about making the switch to Kick, they will look at these numbers and might come to the conclusion it is worth it.

Secondly, the more popular something is the more likely it is for actual real people to join the network.

Thirdly, and the most egrigious of all the reasons is the hope of bringing in substantially more ad or sponsor revenue from a video or stream. The consequences of pumping up your viewership for this reason could prove to be huge especially for a platform the size of Kick.

Is The Reason Given Credible?

At first glance, the co-owner of Kick has given a very good explanation to help explain why there is a seeming discrepancy between the amount of people watching a stream vs the amount of interaction. Since Kick are a new platform, it does stand to reason that many are yet to create an account with them and are just checking them out. However, this is not the first time they have been accused of inflating their viewership.

Ninja, only last week while praising several aspects of Kick suggested that some streamers should brace themselves for a reality check since many of the followers are gifted and at some point this will plateau.