Global streaming platform KICK has launched KICK Ads – opening the social channel to advertisers for the very first time.
The platform, launched in 2022 and is a competitor to Twitch, said the decision follows time spent prioritising creators, product development and audience growth over several years.
Twitch on the other hand began rolling out video ads around 2011–2012 shortly after the platform launched, with automated mid-rolls and expanded ad incentive programs following later in 2018–2020.
The move for KICK marks the next chapter for a platform that has grown to over 100 million active users and surpassed 1.5 billion hours watched in Q2 2026. KICK is the number one streaming platform in areas such as the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America – while seeing strong growth across Asia, Europe and Australia.
Ryan Webb, head of growth & revenue, KICK, said the business believed long-term audience trust would ultimately create a stronger advertising platform.
“The viewer is everything on KICK. They’re not watching in the background, they’re in the chat, part of the stream. We spent more than three years earning that by building a platform creators wanted to stream on and communities wanted to spend time in. That’s what built an audience that sticks around, pays attention, and trusts the platform they’re watching on,” he said.
“Only once we knew we had built something people loved did we open the doors to advertisers.”
Webb said ultimately, he wanted to “extend that same creator and viewer experience to advertisers”.
“We’ve been steady and precise in rolling this out, assembling some of the industry’s leading advertising talent from Google, Spotify, Omnicom and Seven Network to build an ads platform and service model that delivers for brands, agencies and advertisers alike.”
A whopping 81.7 per cent of KICK’s audience is aged between 18 and 34, significantly higher than other livestreaming social brands and linear television.
From creators like GymSkin, whose content can generate millions of views and revive decades-old songs such as Madonna’s ‘Into The Groove’, to global personalities setting fundraising world records, KICK is increasingly where online Gen Z + Millennial culture begins before it reaches the mainstream.
The platform’s growth also continues to accelerate. KICK welcomed 39 million new users during 2025, followed by a further 27 million new users in the first half of 2026, reinforcing livestreaming’s position as one of the fastest-growing forms of digital media.
Kelly Lenihan, global advertising lead, KICK, said: “For years, marketers have been asking the same question: how do you reach a generation that’s spending less time with traditional media?”
“The answer isn’t another social feed – it’s livestreaming. People don’t just watch KICK, they participate in it. That level of attention, interaction and community is incredibly difficult to find anywhere else.
“For advertisers, that’s incredibly powerful. You’re not simply buying impressions; you’re becoming a part of their communities, conversations and cultural moments that people actively choose to engage or spend time with. That’s what’s really exciting about what we’re building here at KICK – all from our Melbourne HQ while taking on the world,” said Kelly.
While gaming remains a cornerstone of KICK, the platform has evolved into a much broader livestreaming entertainment ecosystem. Gaming now represents 48% of all content, with 37% dedicated to talk shows, podcasts and IRL livestreams, alongside professional sport, esports tournaments, creator events, television watch parties and news content. Every month, more than 41,000 creators stream across the platform, producing over one million hours of live content.
