Trainwreck outlines new Kick Creator Program to help pay “streamers of all sizes”

Jacob Hale
trainwreck on stream with Kick logo in corner

Streaming star Tyler ‘Trainwreck’ Niknam has unveiled some details about the Creator Program for his new streaming service, Kick, with plans to “work toward financial security for all streamers of all sizes.”

Trainwreck was one of the biggest stars on Twitch with his gambling streams and regular big giveaways, but when the Amazon-owned platform decided to knuckle down on gambling streams, he took matters into his own hands.

Thus came Kick, a new streaming platform spearheaded by Train, working alongside gambling website Stake, with whom he and many other top creators and influencers are partnered.

A number of creators have started to transition over to Kick, especially those who want to be able to do gambling streams, and now Train is looking to reward them, no matter how many viewers they get.

In a Twitlonger posted on January 25, Train outlined some of the plans for financially rewarding Kick streamers.

“The life of a Twitch streamer is working an impossible number of hours trying to find success,” he said. “For all but the largest creators, these hours go unrewarded. Twitch ignores small, and mid-sized creators and gives their budget to a select small group of streamers via huge paid contracts.

“Small to middle-sized creators have few paid opportunities on Twitch and are expected to get by on their unfair subscription revenue split and meager ad programs.”

He went on to explain that Kick could spend millions bringing in big creators, but instead, they want to “invest in all creators.”

He explained that creators will “get paid for each hour they stream,” paying out based on the following:

  • The number of hours you stream
  • A flat rate based on Kick’s advertising CPMs (budgeted by us until ads take over)
  • The average viewers you have
  • Viewer demographics and engagement

In addition, payouts can be made on a set day of each month, or alternatively, creators can choose to be paid out same-day if they want to be paid in either Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Initially, the Kick Creator Program will have a manual approval process, for creators who can be trusted and have a brand already, to avoid potential exploiters, viewbotters, and more.

“I have a vision that one day every streamer will get back exactly what they put in,” he finalized. “I want the time gone where streamers spend thousands of hours working and never knowing if they will get a return. It will take time to get right, but this is the beginning.”

Fellow streamers like Dr Disrespect have claimed that Twitch’s demise is “inevitable” after the launch of Kick, and if plans like this succeed, we may see more streamers start to switch over time.

About The Author

Jacob is Dexerto’s UK Editor and Call of Duty esports specialist. With a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing, he previously worked as an Editor at Ginx TV. Jacob was nominated for Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Esports Awards. Contact: jacob.hale@dexerto.com.