• Kick

Revenue Per Viewer Hour: Kick vs Twitch, YouTube & Facebook

  • Felix Rose-Collins
  • 4 min read

Intro

One of the most useful metrics for streamers is Revenue Per Viewer Hour (RPVH) — that is, how much money a creator earns for every hour that one viewer watches their stream.

This helps you understand how efficiently each platform turns audience attention into income, rather than just looking at total revenue or raw view counts.

Below is a comparison of Kick with its major competitors: Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming. We’ll look at how much revenue a creator might expect per viewer hour on each platform — and why the numbers differ.

What Is Revenue Per Viewer Hour (RPVH)?

RPVH = 🎯 (Total Earnings) ÷ (Total Viewer Hours)

This metric accounts for both:

  • How long viewers watch, and
  • How much money those viewers generate

Higher RPVH means more income per hour of viewer attention — a key measure of monetization efficiency.

Why RPVH Matters

Traditional metrics like “views” or “followers” don’t capture value — they only measure audience size. RPVH captures how well a platform converts attention into pay, which is what creators ultimately care about.

Example: If Streamer A earns $100 with 1,000 viewer hours → RPVH = $0.10/viewer hour

If Streamer B earns $300 with the same 1,000 viewer hours → RPVH = $0.30/viewer hour → Streamer B monetized viewership better.

How Revenue Is Generated On Each Platform

Before comparing numbers, here’s how each platform typically makes money for creators:

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Kick

  • Subscriptions (95/5 split)
  • Tips & donations
  • Ad revenue (limited)
  • Incentive/partner programs

Twitch

  • Subscriptions (50/50 standard)
  • Bits & tips
  • Ads
  • Partner bonuses

YouTube Gaming

  • Ad revenue (AdSense)
  • Channel memberships
  • Super Chats / Super Stickers
  • YouTube Partner Program

Facebook Gaming

  • Stars (tips)
  • Fan subscriptions
  • Ads (in-stream)
  • Brand/bonus programs

Estimated RPVH Ranges (Illustrative)

Because exact earnings vary by niche, region, and audience behavior, the following are realistic estimated ranges based on community reports and creator experience. These are not guaranteed payouts but useful benchmarks.

Platform Typical RPVH Range
Kick $0.25 – $1.20+
Twitch $0.10 – $0.70+
YouTube Gaming $0.15 – $0.90+
Facebook Gaming $0.10 – $0.60+

Why Kick Often Has Higher RPVH

1. Super Generous Subscription Split

Kick gives creators 95% of subscription revenue, far higher than competitors. Even low subscriber conversion rates can boost RPVH significantly relative to viewer hours.

Example:

  • 100 viewer hours
  • 10% sub conversion among those hours
  • Sub income shoots RPVH up fast

2. Native Tips With Minimal Cuts

Tips and donations on Kick stay mostly with the creator — and are tied to live engagement, not passive watch time.

3. Less Reliance on Ads

Kick’s income relies less on ads and more on direct support. Viewers who tip or subscribe often generate higher income per hour than ads alone.

Why Twitch Can Be Lower (or Higher in Some Cases)

Standard Sub Split

Most Twitch creators only get 50% of subscription revenue — which lowers effective earnings per viewer hour compared to Kick.

Ads Are Secondary and Variable

Ad revenue on Twitch depends on ad load and viewership patterns and is sometimes less predictable.

Bits & Tips Add Income

Direct support via bits and third-party tips increases total earnings — especially for established channels.

If a Twitch creator gets heavy tipping and subscriptions, their RPVH can approach or exceed Kick’s top end of the range.

YouTube Gaming: The Mixed Monetization Model

Ads Can Push RPVH Up

Because YouTube monetizes passive watching effectively, creator RPVH for pre-recorded and live streams can be solid — especially with high view counts.

Memberships & Super Chats

Member income and Super Chats add to the total, but the platform’s larger cut and competitive CPMs sometimes lower net per viewer hour.

YouTube is often a balance: strong passive ad income combined with lower per-viewer revenue splits.

Facebook Gaming: Engagement-Driven But Modest

Facebook Gaming’s monetization — Stars, subscriptions, and ads — does work, but generally it:

  • Takes a larger cut on Stars
  • Has less developed ad infrastructure than YouTube
  • Often monetizes less per viewer hour than Kick and Twitch

This typically results in lower midsize RPVH ranges.

Example Scenarios

Scenario A: Rising Streamer With 500 Viewer Hours

Platform Estimated Earnings RPVH
Kick $150 – $300+ $0.30 – $0.60+
Twitch $80 – $200 $0.16 – $0.40
YouTube Gaming $90 – $250 $0.18 – $0.50
Facebook Gaming $50 – $130 $0.10 – $0.26

Scenario B: Established Streamer With 2,000 Viewer Hours

Platform Estimated Earnings RPVH
Kick $600 – $2,400+ $0.30 – $1.20+
Twitch $300 – $1,400+ $0.15 – $0.70+
YouTube Gaming $360 – $1,800+ $0.18 – $0.90+
Facebook Gaming $200 – $1,200 $0.10 – $0.60

These examples show relative efficiency — how much money is generated per viewer hour — not total earnings.

What Drives Higher RPVH

Across platforms, RPVH increases when:

⭐ Engagement Is High

Interactive content encourages subscriptions and tips.

⭐ Viewer Loyalty Is Strong

Return viewers are more likely to support financially.

⭐ Audience Quality Is High

Viewers in high-value regions tend to convert better.

⭐ Monetization Mix Is Optimized

Combining subscriptions, tipping, moderation, and incentives increases revenue efficiency per hour.

Final Takeaway

Is Kick the best for Revenue Per Viewer Hour? 👉 Often, yes — especially for smaller and mid-tier creators focused on community support.

But it’s not automatic. RPVH depends on how well you convert viewer engagement into:

  • Subscriptions
  • Tips & donations
  • Consistent, recurring support

In general:

  • Kick offers the highest potential RPVH for many creators because of its generous revenue share and direct support model.
  • Twitch can approach or exceed Kick’s RPVH with large, highly engaged communities.
  • YouTube Gaming shines when you add strong passive ad revenue to live monetization.
  • Facebook Gaming typically monetizes less per viewer hour than the others but can still be profitable with large audiences.

The platform with the best RPVH for you depends on your audience, your engagement style, and how you monetize attention, not just platform reputation.

Felix Rose-Collins

Felix Rose-Collins

Ranktracker's CEO/CMO & Co-founder

Felix Rose-Collins is the Co-founder and CEO/CMO of Ranktracker. With over 15 years of SEO experience, he has single-handedly scaled the Ranktracker site to over 500,000 monthly visits, with 390,000 of these stemming from organic searches each month.

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