KICK's first milestone is simple: its help centre says you need to stream for at least 5 total hours before you can enable subs, and those hours are cumulative, so you can build them over several short sessions. After that, the next tiers are verification and the Partner Program, which have much higher bars.
Streamers coming from Twitch often look for a KICK version of 'Affiliate' with the same follower and viewer targets. KICK's help centre describes it differently: there's a low first step to switch on subs, then verification, then the Partner Program. Here's each stage from KICK's own pages.
The first milestone: 5 hours
In KICK's words, there are minimum requirements before you can enable subs, and the bar is to stream for at least 5 total hours. The requirement is cumulative, so you can build up the hours by streaming for shorter periods over multiple days. Once you've hit it, you're eligible to enable subs on your channel. KICK's dashboard tracks your progress under Achievements, which is where you'll see the milestone tick over.
The ladder after that
| Stage | What KICK asks for |
|---|---|
| Enable subs | At least 5 total streaming hours (cumulative) |
| Verification | KICK verifies channels; refusal or removal follows its guidelines |
| Partner Program | Verified channel, then 75 average viewers, 30 hours, 25 active subs, 250 unique chatters, 3 VODs in 30 days, and 250 followers |
The jump from the first milestone to partnership is large, and verification sits between them. KICK's partner requirements say your channel has to be verified before you can apply, so it's worth treating verification as its own goal rather than an afterthought.
How to hit the first milestone, step by step
- Set up your channel and stream software.
- Stream in shorter sessions if that suits you; the hours add up across days.
- Watch the Achievements section of your creator dashboard for progress.
- Once you pass 5 total hours, switch on subs from your channel settings.
Habits that hold channels back
KICK lists the behaviours that get verification or partner status refused or removed, and they're worth avoiding from your first stream, because they follow you up the ladder:
- Repeated rule breaks within a 30 day period.
- Joining groups that artificially inflate statistics to meet targets.
- Going 90 days without streaming.
- Mirror streams, blank streams or pre-recorded content passed off as live.
If you're refused verification, KICK says to make sure you meet the initial requirements and wait 30 days before reapplying.
Why the first milestone is worth hitting early
The 5 hours do two jobs. They switch on subs, and they give KICK a track record to look at when you move on to verification. A channel with steady, live, original streams from the start has nothing in its history that matches KICK's refusal list, which makes every later step simpler. Streaming in shorter, regular sessions also tends to build a returning audience faster than one long marathon, and the partner numbers are measured over rolling 30 day windows anyway.
Age rules for young streamers
KICK's guide for parents says children under 13 can't use KICK at all. People from 13, or 16 in Europe, up to the age of majority, which is 18 in most places, can only use KICK with a parent or guardian involved. That applies before any milestone does.
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My verdict
Five hours is a gentle start, so don't overthink it: stream consistently, keep it live and original, and let the hours build. The real work starts after, on verification and the partner numbers. When you're ready to compare where to stream, here's how Twitch partner requirements work, and if you're multistreaming with Twitch too, here's how to link Amazon Prime to Twitch so your viewers can support you there.
Frequently asked questions
What are the KICK affiliate requirements?
KICK's help centre says you need to stream for at least 5 total hours before you can enable subs. The hours are cumulative across sessions.
Do KICK streaming hours have to be in one go?
No. KICK says the 5 hour requirement is cumulative, so shorter streams over several days count.
What comes after the first KICK milestone?
Verification, then the Partner Program, which needs a verified channel plus 75 average viewers, 30 hours, 25 active subs, 250 unique chatters and 3 VODs in 30 days, and 250 followers.
How old do you have to be to stream on KICK?
At least 13, or 16 in Europe, and under the age of majority you need a parent or guardian involved.
