Does Kick Really Pay Streamers What It Promises? Adin Ross Sparks Controversy
The streaming world is buzzing with controversy after popular content creator Adin Ross publicly called out Kick, the platform that’s been positioning itself as a Twitch alternative. His allegations? That Kick isn’t paying streamers what it promised, and that payouts are tied to working with Stake.
It’s a claim that’s got other creators speaking up and raising serious questions about the platform’s sustainability.
Adin Ross Claims Kick Slashed His Payouts
In a recent stream, the controversial streamer revealed that Kick allegedly reduced his payouts massively. According to Ross, the platform cut his payments from millions per month down to just $243,000 monthly; still a hefty sum by most standards, but a massive reduction from what he claims he was initially promised.
But here’s where it gets more interesting. Ross alleges that Kick CEO Ed Craven told him his full payout would only be restored if he secured a deal with Stake. This effectively ties his creator payments to whether he can land external sponsorships, which raises eyebrows about how “guaranteed” these platform deals really are.
Adding fuel to the fire, Ross announced he’s planning to move his biggest streams back to Twitch, the platform he left for Kick in the first place. This isn’t exactly a vote of confidence for Kick, especially coming from one of their most high-profile creators.
It’s worth noting that Ross has a history of platform hopping. He initially built his audience on Twitch before making the switch to Kick, which has been criticised for its looser content policies and heavy ties to gambling. Now, with talks of returning to Twitch for major broadcasts, his loyalty to any single platform seems questionable at best.
Fellow Casino Streamers Respond With Mixed Reactions
Ross isn’t the only one raising concerns. Fellow Kick streamer Nova Neon took to X to back up Ross’s claims, posting that she’s experienced similar issues with the platform. Her post suggests this might not be an isolated incident but rather a broader pattern affecting multiple creators on Kick.
However, big streamers, namely XQC, went ahead and defended Kick and Eddie, going on record to say that he spoke directly with Eddie, and suggesting that maybe Adin was rage-baiting. Nonetheless, there could be some underlying issues with how Kick handles its creator incentive program.
How Kick’s Creator Programme Actually Works
For context, Kick has been marketing itself as a more creator-friendly alternative to Twitch. The platform offers what it calls a Creator Incentive Program, which guarantees streamers a certain amount of money based on their viewership and streaming hours.
The basic structure works like this:
- Streamers receive hourly payouts based on their average viewership
- The programme is designed to provide more predictable income than Twitch’s subscription-based model
- Kick takes a smaller cut of subscription revenue (5%) compared to Twitch’s standard 50/50 split
On paper, it sounds great. The problem, according to Ross and others, is that these “guaranteed” payouts apparently aren’t so guaranteed after all, especially if you’re not bringing in additional sponsorship deals.
Ed Craven Responds to the Allegations
Kick CEO Ed Craven didn’t stay silent on the matter:
“Kick Partnership Program was created in 2024 as a way to give streamers a real baseline income, funded entirely out of Kick’s pocket and not tied to ads or subs. It is built to give creators stability and has already delivered payouts approaching $150M to 1,000’s of creators. After rebuilding our view count system, removing almost 1,000 abusers, correcting inflated views, and nuking millions of bot accounts, the program is in a healthier spot than ever.”
According to him, the KPP system itself didn’t really change. What did change was how Kick calculates view counts. The platform upgraded its tracking to spot inactive tabs, inflated numbers, and any kind of view-botting or “boosted” engagement. Because of that cleanup, some creators saw smaller payouts, not because KPP was changed, but because their old numbers weren’t accurate.
After the backlash, Eddie also jumped on a call with Santana and Adin Ross to go through everything more openly. They broke down how KPP works, its flaws, and how the new view system exposed inflated engagement.
What This Means for Streamers
The whole situation highlights a bigger issue for Kick creators. Even if Eddie says the KPP structure hasn’t changed, the view-count overhaul basically exposed which creators had inflated numbers without realizing it. So a lot of people suddenly earned less.
This also raises a fair question: how stable are these deals really? If your payout can swing hard because the platform updates its tracking system, streamers don’t have much control or predictability.
Are Kick Payouts Tied to External Sponsorships?
This is still unconfirmed and perhaps the most troubling aspect of Ross’s allegations. If true, it means Kick isn’t really offering guaranteed payouts at all. Instead, it’s more like a commission-based arrangement where your platform payment depends on your ability to secure outside deals. That’s a very different proposition from what many streamers signed up for. Kick can be a great deal, but it’s not as plug-and-play predictable as people thought.
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