In a very short time, Kick has established itself as a rival to Twitch, a platform that has existed in gaming for over a decade. However, little is known about who owns Kick.
Kick has earned its stripes in gaming for being home to streamers who like more creative freedom and control over their content. It’s also attracted controversial figures banned from Twitch, fueling an unspoken rivalry between the two platforms. These names include Adin Ross, Tyler “TrainwrecksTV” Niknam, and Félix “xQc” Lengyel, with speculation that Ross and Trainwreckstv may have ownership stakes.
As a result, there’s a lot of confusion about who owns Kick in 2024. Here’s all we know about Kick ownership.
Australian company Kick Streaming Pty Ltd. privately owns Kick, which is in turn controlled by Stake founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani.
A related company, Easygo Entertainment Pty Ltd., is listed as the sole shareholder of Kick Streaming. One-third of Easygo Entertainment is owned by Ashwood Holdings Pty Ltd., which is entirely owned by Australian billionaire and Stake co-founder Ed Craven. The remaining two-thirds are held by Bijan Tehrani, Stake’s other co-founder. Kick operates as a private entity, so its financial details aren’t publicly disclosed.
Thus, while Kick isn’t directly owned by Stake’s founders, they are majority shareholders in the company that owns it. There has been considerable speculation that Stake acquired Kick to promote its gambling business, though Stake itself does not directly own the streaming platform. This assumption is likely due to the fact that Stake’s co-founders, Craven and Tehrani, hold majority shares in Kick through related companies.
When it comes to streamers, it appears a few may have equity in Kick, but there’s no way to find out. While TrainwrecksTV has never publicly claimed to own part of Kick, he did say he is an advisor, so it’s safe to assume he has an impact on what goes on on Kick. Adin Ross, on the other hand, has confirmed that he has equity in Kick.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.