"Please tell me we still have Twitch streams": PGL announces Kick streams ahead of CS2 Major Copenhagen, fans divided

The Professional Gamers League, aka PGL, has announced that it will be live-streaming on Kick ahead of the CS2 Major in Copenhagen, slated to begin in March 2024. The announcement has divided the esports fan base, with many criticizing the move.

PGL tournaments have so far been multi-streamed on websites such as Twitch and YouTube. After the announcement, fans are concerned that the CS2 and DOTA 2 Majors will no longer be broadcast on those platforms.

One X user wrote this in response to the announcement:

However, fans don't need to worry, as the Professional Gamers League has clarified in a follow-up post that the broadcasts will take place on Twitch, YouTube, and Kick.

Kick is a relatively new streaming platform started by Ed Craven, Bijan Tehrani, and Tyler "Trainwreckstv" a few years ago as a direct competitor to Twitch. Craven and Tehrani are also the co-founders of the crypto gambling website Stake, a fact that has created a lot of controversy surrounding Kick.

Despite this association, the platform has seen a huge influx of content creators thanks to its highly lucrative payouts. That said, it has yet to shake off all of the anti-gambling criticism that it has faced since its inception.

With the PGL starting its streams on Kick, it will be one of the first major esports events to officially broadcast on the platform. In its posts on X, the league specifically mentioned that the upcoming CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 will be live-streamed on Kick without ads. The decision has divided fans, with many criticizing the move.

Proponents of Kick, however, see it as a welcome change and praised the Professional Gamers League for its decision to start streaming on a different platform. Many noted that having no Twitch ads is a "W."