Streamer / Content Creator Help

06/18/2026

Streaming creators have you wondered why Kick caps most streams at 720p while pushing for growth?

Our latest article on The Streaming Handbook breaks down exactly what Santamaria said: it’s a deliberate financial decision, not a technical limitation. Kick is protecting its industry-leading 95.5% creator revenue share while operating without meaningful ad revenue yet. Higher resolutions significantly increase costs across transcoding, storage, CDN delivery, and adaptive bitrate streaming.

We cover the real economics, how this affects clips and smaller creators, 1080p eligibility, and comparisons to Twitch and YouTube’s models.

Is prioritizing high creator payouts over maximum quality the right long-term play?

Read the full analysis here: https://thestreaminghandbook.blogspot.com/2026/06/why-kick-limits-most-streams-to-720p.html

What’s your take on the quality vs. payouts trade-off? Drop your thoughts below 👇

06/16/2026

Twitch has launched the new Creator Sponsorship Certified program and it’s designed to help creators stand out to brands.

Here’s the quick version:
• Complete a free ~10-minute course in Creator Camp
• Pass a 15-question quiz with 100% accuracy
• Earn a certification badge on your Creator Profile
• Get up to 12 hours early access to select Open Invite sponsorship campaigns

It’s optional, currently free, and available to both Affiliates and Partners. The badge signals to brands that you understand disclosure rules, brand safety expectations, and how to run campaigns properly.

In my latest article on The Streaming Handbook I cover exactly how the program works, who should get certified, the real benefits, and the remaining gaps in Twitch’s sponsorship metrics (including the “completed views” model).

If you’re actively pursuing brand deals, this is a low-effort way to improve your visibility.

Read the full guide here: https://thestreaminghandbook.blogspot.com/2026/06/twitch-launches-creator-sponsorship.html

Have you started the certification yet? Curious to hear your thoughts.

06/04/2026

Big platform moves from Kick that could reshape how we think about growth and metrics in streaming!

In my newest post on The Streaming Handbook, I break down the latest updates aimed at rewarding real engagement and making it harder to game the system:

**Level Up Badges** (rolled out June 2, 2026): Viewers level up a global badge simply by watching more streams. They can then show this badge in chat to signal their dedication and loyalty to the community. It's a nice visual reward for the people who actually stick around.

**Hide Viewer Count** (available since May 29): Streamers can now choose to hide their live viewer numbers. This is currently unique to Kick and directly targets one of the main incentives behind viewbotting - making artificial boosts less effective and visible.

**Smarter Discovery**: Kick is putting more weight on their recommendation engine and less on raw viewer count sorting in categories and directories. Search also got enhancements. The goal? Surface streams based on genuine community interaction.

Kick CEO Eddie has been vocal about this direction: “Something we care deeply about: discovery on Kick should be earned, not gamed.” They're also tightening penalties in the Kick Partner Program for those caught viewbotting.

Overall, these feel like positive, iterative improvements toward a more sustainable and fair ecosystem. Mid-sized and growing creators who focus on community and retention stand to benefit as discovery becomes less about who can inflate numbers the most.

Curious to hear from fellow streamers and viewers:

- Are you planning to hide your viewer count on your next stream?
- How do you feel about viewers being able to show off Level Up Badges?
- Do you think this will meaningfully impact discovery for smaller channels?

Full article with all the details and context here: https://thestreaminghandbook.blogspot.com/2026/06/kicks-new-updates-level-up-badges-hide.html

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Kick rolled out new features in 2026 including Level Up Badges, the ability to hide viewer counts, and smarter directory recommendations.

06/04/2026

Have you heard about Kick's KPP and the recent comments from CEO Eddie Craven ()?

In a reply to a streamer, he noted that KPP performance payouts don't currently apply to streams in the Gambling category, specifically Slots and Casino content. His recommendation was to try streaming in other categories to see better results with the program.

Our latest article on The Streaming Handbook breaks down exactly what this means:

• What is KPP and how do you qualify?
• The generous 95/5 subscription revenue split
• Over $46 million already distributed to creators
• Multistreaming flexibility (50% KPP revenue even when streaming elsewhere)
• Kick's strategy to grow mainstream appeal while gambling drives initial traffic

We also share practical advice on whether KPP is worth pursuing and how to approach it sustainably.

Check out the full analysis here: https://thestreaminghandbook.blogspot.com/2026/06/kick-kpp-explained-what-eddie-cravens.html

What are your thoughts on KPP or this approach to platform growth? Any streamers here using it successfully? Let's discuss in the comments!

Kick CEO Eddie Craven recently told a streamer to move away from gambling content to benefit from KPP. We break down what Kick’s Partner Program...