In the age of digital entertainment, there is one platform that has a very special place in the gaming community: Twitch. Twitch has established itself as a leading provider of live-streaming content, offering a wide variety of content ranging from live-gameplay and e-sports events to music and creative streams.
In December 2022, the platform Kick was founded, which is also a gaming live-stream platform. It has already become a serious competitor for Twitch.
While both platforms offer a variety of content, there are still notable differences between them, especially in terms of their target audiences and the opportunities for companies to present themselves.
In the following, we will introduce you to the two platforms, explain the most relevant differences, and explain how you can use the platforms as a company to target relevant audiences.
What is Twitch?
Twitch.tv, better known as Twitch, is a web-based platform that allows live-streaming of video games. With a free registration, users can stream their games on the platform. The concept fits into the popular category of Let's Plays, where players share their gaming experiences.
Twitch is a unique platform that allows gamers to share their passion for video games with others while building an engaged community. Although Twitch is primarily known as a gaming platform, it also features content on music, art, food, and much more. Thus, Twitch covers an extremely broad spectrum of content and appeals to a large target group. Several million users, mainly aged 18-34, use the platform every day.
Of course, this also makes Twitch an attractive platform for companies, offering a number of advertising opportunities. Read more in the section "Why is Twitch so attractive for companies?".
What is Kick?
Kick is a gaming live-streaming platform that aims to make the streaming market more exciting and unique. Unlike Twitch, which has introduced new rules for gambling content, this area remains strong on Kick. However, this issue is causing controversy and raising questions about the seriousness of some of Kick's offerings. Kick strives to stand out from the crowd and therefore offers a diverse range of content for all streaming fans:
- Gaming channels
- IRL channels (In Real Life)
- Music channels
- Gambling channels
Twitch vs. Kick
As mentioned earlier, both Twitch and Kick are popular gaming live-stream platforms. At first glance, both platforms look very similar, mainly because Kick seems to have been inspired by Twitch.
However, when looking closer, there are some crucial differences.
One important difference between Kick and Twitch concerns the way gambling is handled. While Twitch has recently introduced stricter rules to regulate gambling, gambling streams on Kick are a key concern. People who are interested in watching virtual gambling via live-streams might therefore find Kick an alternative to Twitch. However, the topic of gambling is naturally also viewed critically by many, which is why Kick has often been under criticism. Twitch is currently still the leading platform in live-streaming and sets the standard. Above all, companies that want to advertise on the platforms should consider which of the platforms is better suited for this. In this context, Twitch offers some decisive advantages for companies that want to market products. We explain these in the following.
Why is Twitch so attractive for companies?
Twitch is particularly popular with the younger generation. Twitch's dynamic and engaged community offers companies a wide range of opportunities to present their brands and products to a broad target group. Let's take a closer look at two main reasons why Twitch is interesting for companies: the reach and target audience, as well as the diverse advertising opportunities.
Reach and target audience
With millions of active users worldwide, Twitch offers companies an amazing reach. In particular, young people interested in video games, e-sports and entertainment can be found on this platform. If your company offers products or services aimed at this target group, Twitch can be an effective way to promote your brand and attract new customers.
By having a presence on Twitch, you can showcase your content directly to those who are most interested in it. The Twitch community is highly engaged and ready to discover new brands and products.
Advertising opportunities
Twitch offers a variety of advertising options that companies can use to capture the attention of users. These include ads in the stream broadcasts, banner ads on the website, and video ads between live-streams. These ad formats can help you increase brand awareness and reach potential customers.
However, it's important to note that successful advertising on Twitch is based on authenticity and relevance. The Twitch community values authenticity and often reacts less positively to purely promotional content. It is advisable to develop a creative and appealing advertising strategy that fits the Twitch context and offers added value for users.
Amazon DSP ads on Twitch
One particularly interesting way to advertise on Twitch is to use the Amazon DSP (demand-side platform). As part of Amazon's extensive advertising ecosystem, Amazon DSP gives companies the ability to play out targeted ad campaigns on Twitch.
With the Amazon DSP, you can leverage Amazon's rich data to display targeted ads on Twitch. By integrating Twitch with the Amazon Advertising network, businesses can reach their target audience more effectively and with greater targeting. In doing so, the DSP uses buyer data and behavioral patterns of Amazon customers to serve personalized ads on Twitch. This means you can target your ads to users who have specific interests. This allows you to segment effectively and maximize the chances that your ads will reach the right people.
With Amazon DSP ads on Twitch, businesses can use a variety of formats, including display ads, native ads, and video ads. These are strategically placed to ensure maximum visibility and engagement. A particular strength of Amazon DSP is that ad campaigns can be played across multiple devices, including desktop computers, mobile devices, and even smart TVs.
It is important to note that using Amazon DSP on Twitch requires careful planning and strategy. A detailed knowledge of the target audience and a clear message are crucial to capture the attention of Twitch users. Campaign management and optimization are also essential for ad success. Since the optimization is very time-consuming and requires a high level of expertise, you should think about using an approved Amazon DSP partner like BidX for this.
BidX offers you a number of benefits that will make your DSP advertising campaigns successful. Our extensive DSP expertise allows us to efficiently manage your advertising spend and deliver the best results. Compared to other DSP partners, we stand out with the lowest management fee, so you can cost-effectively benefit from our services.
We always keep your goals in mind and adjust the targeting of your campaigns as needed to maximize success. Our strategic consulting services are available to you from the very beginning.
To give you full control over the success of your campaigns, we provide you with a clear performance dashboard. Here you can view all relevant key figures and track the progress of your campaigns.
In addition, we are also available for personal discussions in which we jointly analyze the success of your campaigns in order to further optimize the targeting. Our goal is to ensure that your campaigns achieve the best possible results.
