Latest news with #RaphaëlGrave
Arab Times
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
French streamer dies live on Kick: What you need to know
PARIS, Aug 20: Raphaël Grave, known online as Jean Pormanove or JP, died on Monday, Aug. 18, during a livestream on the Australian-based streaming platform Kick in Contes, north of Nice. The 27-year-old had reportedly endured years of harassment, violence, and humiliation while broadcasting on the platform, authorities said. The Nice prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the cause of death, which has also brought attention to Kick, a platform known for its lenient moderation policies. Kick, launched in 2022 by co-founders Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven, operates similarly to Twitch, allowing viewers to subscribe to channels for a fee. In August, Kick reported a monthly audience of 817,000, less than a third of Twitch's 2.1 million monthly viewers, according to StreamCharts. The platform stands out for its revenue model, taking only 5% of subscriptions compared with Twitch's 30-50% cut. Kick also permits gambling content, sexually suggestive material, and violent or humiliating streams that are typically restricted on other platforms. While not all content is allowed, Kick has cultivated an 'edgier' reputation, attracting influencers banned elsewhere, including American streamer Amouranth and pro-Trump influencer Adin Ross. Ross, known for provocative content, has hosted controversial figures such as white supremacist Nick Fuentes and men's rights influencer Andrew Tate, with some of his streams promoted directly by Kick. Kick is linked to the online gambling platform Stake, co-founded by Tehrani and Craven. Stake is blocked in France and several European countries, and recently left the UK market after regulatory scrutiny over a controversial advertising campaign. The platform also faces legal challenges in multiple U.S. states over alleged gambling violations.
LeMonde
a day ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
What is Kick, the platform on which French streamer Jean Pormanove died while going live?
Raphaël Grave, known online as Jean Pormanove or JP, died on Monday, August 18, in Contes, North of Nice, while taking part in a livestream on Kick. For several years, he had suffered harassment, violence and humiliation live on the platform. While the prosecutor's office in Nice has launched an investigation to determine the cause of death, the tragedy has highlighted this little-known platform and its particularly lenient moderation policies. What is Kick? Kick is a live video streaming platform, with a look and operation very similar to Twitch, Amazon's popular site for video game enthusiasts. Launched in 2022, it is an Australian company, though little is known about its investors beyond its two co-founders, Bijan Tehrani and Ed Craven. As on Twitch, viewers can pay a few euros to "subscribe" to channels and unlock special perks. In August, Kick reported a monthly audience of 817,000 people − less than a third of Twitch's numbers for the same period (2.1 million) − according to the website StreamCharts. How is this streaming platform different from others? Kick stands out from other streaming services mainly due to its highly attractive payment system for content creators. The platform keeps only 5% of the money paid by users to subscribe to channels, compared to the 30% to 50% cut taken by Twitch, for example. The second "advantage" of the platform is its much more permissive moderation policy. Kick allows certain gambling activities that are banned on Twitch, as well as sexually suggestive scenes or content involving humiliation or violence – such as those involving Pormanove – to be broadcast without automatic sanctions. Does that mean anything goes on Kick? Not everything is allowed, but the site has actively capitalized on its "edgier" reputation to attract influencers banned from other platforms or who specialize in provocation. Notably, it welcomed the American streaming star Amouranth, who was temporarily suspended from Twitch for videos deemed too sexualized, as well as pro-Trump influencer Adin Ross. Ross − who is known for sexist, homophobic and racist provocations − joined Kick after being banned from Twitch in 2023 (he has since been reinstated). While Kick is primarily English-speaking, there are also several French-speaking influencers who have been banned from other streaming services, such as YouTuber Marvel Fitness, who was convicted of psychological harassment in 2021. With such a lineup of content creators, Kick has regularly sparked controversy. In September 2023, for example, an escort was filmed and detained against her will in the apartment of American streamer Ice Poseidon (real name Paul Denino), while Craven, one of the platform's executives, jokingly commented on the situation on the livestream. One year later, two more American influencers, Jack Doherty and Sam Pepper, were banned from Kick. Doherty was removed for crashing his car live on air, while Pepper was banned for tricking a homeless woman in a staged event (he now appears to be allowed back on the platform). Ross, meanwhile, has hosted figures such as white supremacist Nick Fuentes and men's rights influencer Andrew Tate on his streams, while his content is also regularly promoted by Kick itself. What are Kick's links to online casinos? Kick is directly connected to a major online gambling and betting platform, Stake, founded by the same individuals; the site frequently displays advertisements for Stake. Stake is illegal in France, and access to the site is blocked in France and several other European countries. In the United Kingdom, where the platform had obtained a license to operate legally, the company announced in February it was leaving the country following a scandal: Stake had launched an advertising campaign using the image of a porn star to promote its online betting service, which triggered an investigation by the local regulator. The company is also the subject of several lawsuits in the United States, where it claims its operations are legal but where several states argue that it is violating gambling laws.
