๐ฅ๐ฐ Twich Star Sign $100 Million Deal With Rival Platform ๐ฎ๐ค
Da deal signed by Fรฉlix Lengyel, known as xQc, matches traditional athletes’ contracts, and it’s anodda sign of Twitch’s tense relationship with its top streamers. ๐ฑ๐ธ
One of Twitch’s most popular streamers said on Friday that he was joining a rival streaming platform, Kick, in one big buss to da Amazon-owned site and one sign of its gettin’ strained relationship with content creators. ๐ฎ๐บ
Fรฉlix Lengyel, one Canadian known online as xQc, signing one two-year, roughly $70 million contract, wit incentives dat could push da total to about $100 million, said his agent, Ryan Morrison. ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฏ
Mr. Lengyel’s deal โ about as big as da two-year contract extension signed by da Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James last year โ could cause some trouble in da online entertainment world. ๐๐ฅ
“Dis mo’ than most professional athletes and big stars,” Mr. Morrison said. “Dis one of da biggest deals in entertainment, no can deny.” ๐๐ค๐
Mr. Lengyel, 27, talk story wit fans, host reality shows, and livestream him playing video games. He one big star in da livestreaming world, wit nearly 12 million followers and da power fo’ attract tens of thousands of viewers at any time. By some numbers, he da most popular Twitch streamer. ๐ฃ๏ธ๐ฎ๐
“Kick is letting me try and do tings I neva been able to do befo’,” Mr. Lengyel said in one statement. “I’m super stoked fo’ dis opportunity and go make um da best fo’ da next few years.” ๐ฅ๐๐
Da top livestream stars can make millions and get huge communities of loyal viewers by sharing their content, but plenny of dem wen leave Twitch in da past years, cause dey get betta deals from odda platforms like YouTube. And some streamers wen complain dat Twitch no mo’ listen to da online community and mo’ focused on money than keeping da streamers happy. ๐ค๐ฐ๐ค
Dem concerns wen blow up last fall when Twitch wen say dey go take mo’ money from da revenue da top streamers wen make from fans who pay fo’ subscribe to their channels. Twitch wen change dat policy dis week and go back on one recent change dat wen restrict da kine ads da streamers could show during their livestreams. ๐๐ค๐
Kick, one streaming platform backed by online gaming and gambling sites in Australia, like Easygo Gaming and Stake.com, one online casino, wen start dis year and dey making big noise bout dey streamer-friendly ways. Dey only taking 5 percent of da streamers’ earnings from subscriptions, while Twitch stay taking 50 percent. As one start-up, Kick stay ready fo’ take one loss, said Ed Craven, da company’s CEO. ๐ช๐ฎ๐
Mr. Lengyel go be expected fo’ create content primarily fo’ Kick, but he no go be locked into one exclusive contract wit da site and he can pop up on YouTube or TikTok once in one while, said Mr. Craven. Mr. Lengyel still planning fo’ appear on Twitch, but not as much as he used to afta signing da deal wit Kick. ๐ฅ๐ป๐
Kick stay averaging 110,000 livestreams every day, still small kine compared to Twitch’s seven million monthly streamers and 31 million daily viewers. But Kick stay growing fast and catching odda stars. ๐๐๐
“Dis one bout creating one ting dat really centered ’round da creator itself and forming one community dat really built ’round dem and not just solely ’round one corporate structure,” said Mr. Craven. “We no feel like we really have one right to dip into your pockets and take one split of dat.” ๐๐ช๐ค
NOW IN ENGLISH
๐ฅ๐ฐ Twitch Star Signs $100 Million Deal With Rival Platform ๐ฎ๐ค
The deal signed by Fรฉlix Lengyel, known as xQc, matches traditional athletes’ contracts, and it’s another sign of Twitch’s tense relationship with its top streamers. ๐ฑ๐ธ
One of Twitch’s most popular streamers said on Friday that he was joining a rival streaming platform, Kick, in one big blow to the Amazon-owned site and one sign of its increasingly strained relationship with content creators. ๐ฎ๐บ
Fรฉlix Lengyel, a Canadian known online as xQc, is signing a two-year, roughly $70 million contract, with incentives that could push the total to about $100 million, said his agent, Ryan Morrison. ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฏ
Mr. Lengyel’s deal โ about as big as the two-year contract extension signed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James last year โ could shake up the economics of the online entertainment world. ๐๐ฅ
“This is more than most professional athletes and big stars,” Mr. Morrison said. “This is one of the biggest deals in entertainment, no one can deny.” ๐๐ค๐
Mr. Lengyel, 27, chats with fans, hosts reality shows, and livestreams himself playing video games. He is a big star in the livestreaming world, with nearly 12 million followers and the power to attract tens of thousands of viewers at any time. By some metrics, he is the most popular Twitch streamer. ๐ฃ๏ธ๐ฎ๐
“Kick is allowing me to try and do things I haven’t been able to do before,” Mr. Lengyel said in one statement. “I’m super excited for this opportunity and I’ll make the best out of it in the next few years.” ๐ฅ๐๐
The top livestream stars can make millions and gather huge communities of loyal viewers by sharing their content, but plenty of them have left Twitch in recent years because they have received better deals from other platforms like YouTube. And some streamers have complained that Twitch no longer listens to the online community and is more focused on money than keeping the streamers happy. ๐ค๐ฐ๐ค
Those concerns came to a head last fall when Twitch announced that they would take a larger portion of the revenue that top streamers earn from fans who pay to subscribe to their channels. Twitch changed that policy this week and rolled back a recent change that restricted the types of ads that streamers could show during their livestreams. ๐๐ค๐
Kick, a streaming platform backed by online gaming and gambling sites in Australia, like Easygo Gaming and Stake.com, an online casino, started this year and they are making a lot of noise about their streamer-friendly approach. They only take 5 percent of the streamers’ earnings from subscriptions, while Twitch takes 50 percent. As a startup, Kick is prepared to operate at a loss, said Ed Craven, the company’s CEO. ๐ช๐ฎ๐
Mr. Lengyel will be expected to primarily create content for Kick, but he will not be locked into an exclusive contract with the site, and he can occasionally appear on YouTube or TikTok, said Mr. Craven. Mr. Lengyel still plans to appear on Twitch, but not as frequently as he did before signing the deal with Kick. ๐ฅ๐ป๐
Kick is averaging 110,000 livestreams every day, still relatively small compared to Twitch’s seven million monthly streamers and 31 million daily viewers. But Kick is growing rapidly and attracting other stars. ๐๐๐
“This is about creating something that is really centered around the creator itself and forming a community that is really built around them and not just solely around a corporate structure,” said Mr. Craven. “We don’t feel like we really have the right to dip into your pockets and take a split of that.” ๐๐ช๐ค
