KICK, a live platform streaming service made its debut into the realm of Formula 1 in 2023. Their mission is to provide new and innovative ways to communicate with their fan base worldwide. And signing the dotted line in 2023, KICK was announced to become a sponsor to the Sauber Formula 1 team. But with the emergence of a new sponsor, there will always be questions, in this case… who are KICK? And why join Formula 1? Let’s find out.
Who are KICK?
In full, KICK live steaming or on-demand platform serving to a worldwide fan base. And was founded in October 2022 to rival the Amazon-owned streaming platform, Twitch. With similar features and dynamics to Twitch, the green streaming brand provides an uninterrupted streaming platform for your favourite streamers. With no advertisements and for streamers themselves to earn higher revenue in a 95:5 revenue split. Whereas other streaming platforms according to KICK “take 70:30 or 50:50, but we offer 95%.”
So for a streaming platform that is on the rise and providing more benefits to its fans and streamers, why has this Australian-based platform become invested in a world such as Formula 1?
Introduction into Formula 1
KICK joined Formula 1 with the connection made with Sauber as stated by Alessandro Alunni Bravi, managing director of Sauber Group:
“A streaming platform and a Formula One team share some key elements: we both talk with young, engaged audiences that demand attractive content and that are very discerning when it comes to what they consume in the digital world.” – According to Blackbook Motorsport.
And for signing the dotted line, KICK would get the visual promotion onto the car. And Sauber would further illustrate that streaming platform KICK had acquired the naming rights to next year’s car. Which will be known as the KICK Sauber C44 for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
But when the official car release of the KICK Sauber C44 was announced on the 7th February 2023, there was no visual confirmation that KICK had been displayed. But came as a shock to see the KICK Sauber C44 appear at the Belgium Grand Prix, five months later. In black, red and green colours. Why green? The KICK logo was finally displayed on the Formula 1 car.
Repercussions in Entering Formula 1
For KICK, a streaming platform, to enter one of the world’s most glamorous motorsports that is worth over $16 billion comes with extensive risks. For starters is the emergence of KICK itself. As the streaming platform only originated in October 2022 and the announcement of KICK joining Formula 1 alongside Sauber was three months later at the end of January 2023.
So having a new streaming platform that is sought to rival that of Twitch during its infancy comes as the first issue as KICK would not established more publically until the Belgium Grand Prix weekend in 2023.
Another issue would be the arrival of its sponsor partner, Stake. Stake is an Australian crypto online casino company founded in 2017. And would sign as a co-title partner for the 2023 season with Sauber. But why was Stake’s involvement a serious problem to KICK joining the Sauber team?
At the same time during the birth of KICK, Twitch was promoting to ban gambling streams on its website. However, this has not affected KICK’s use to gamble on their website. The worst of it comes down to Stake who are now the official owner of KICK (now under a subsidiary) are both unable to promote their brands in countries. That does not allow/promote the use of gambling or online betting.
So for a team that was eager to tap into a younger target audience with a new form of digital engagement, comes with a price. Having their titles not present for the promotion of their respected brands during a Grand Prix weekend. So one team may appear at a certain Grand Prix weekend. While another team won’t due to the gambling laws in a specific country. This goes for the same issue for cigarette sponsors which Ferrari mainly advertised in the 2000s. As could be seen as the reason KICK was shown on the Alfa Romeo C43 so late in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The Red Turning into Green
At the end of the 2023 Formula 1 season, the Sauber team finished ninth in the constructor’s championship with 16 points just four points ahead of the Haas team. With this result comes the anticipation of a new name and a new look to the car, with the departure of Alfa Romeo at the end of the season.
But this new venture would not only stem into Formula 1 but into F1 Academy. But first, talk about Formula 1.
Alfa Romeo leaves and Sauber announces that the team will be known as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. And will continue to do so until the end of the 2025 season. The team will be rebranded fully into the Audi Formula 1 team. But before then comes the rebrand, as KICK acquired the naming rights to next year’s car, Kick also acquired the rights to name the chassis as the KICK Sauber C44.
And with the rights obtained, came a new visual identity to the C44. During the reveal in February, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu unrevealed Sauber’s C44 to a green and black livery. With it came Stake’s brand on the side pods, engine cover and rear wing, with the wheel rims depicting casino chips. The new and ‘aggressive’ looking car from Sauber would unfortunately bear no fruit on track. There have been races where the C44 has created the potential to create points but has not seen the team create any success on the track.
KICK Moving into F1 Academy
But we did mention that KICK has created a new venture within the F1 Academy. Announcing it would sponsor the Campos Racing team in the 2024 F1 Academy season with German driver, Carrie Schreiner. But why not Stake sponsor Campos Racing instead/alongside KICK? Mainly, most females on the grid are predominately young. Making it inappropriate for an online crypto casino brand to sponsor a team that also impacts every other female driver on the grid.
Even though this new approach has created some highlights towards the green brands’ ever-growing identity. Carrie Schreiner scores seven points on the opening weekend of the season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Finishing 10th in Race 1 and 7th in Race 2. With another two points in Race 2 of the Miami Grand Prix finishing 9th.
Once again, this provides the ever-growing exposure of the green brand.
Conclusion
As part of its strategy of expanding its reach and engaging with a broader audience, KICK made its first entry into Formula 1 to reach a more diverse audience. The partnership between KICK and Sauber, which gave birth to the KICK Sauber C44, demonstrates the company’s innovative approach to integrating sports with digital entertainment. One of their key initiatives.
Through this collaboration, the two companies are hoping to capture the attention of a young generation of tech-savvy fans. Who are passionate about motorsport and online streaming in equal measure.
All in all, KICK’s entry into Formula 1 demonstrates a bold and forward-looking initiative that aligns with its mission of bringing innovation and connectivity to global audiences through its innovative products and services. It is crucial to keep in mind that the platform currently continues to evolve as well as expand its presence in the racing world, which means that it is poised to capitalize on all the opportunities it provides to enhance its brand and engage its fans in new and exciting ways.
Despite the challenges ahead, the journey ahead promises to continue to integrate traditional and digital sports entertainment, making way for even greater success in the future.
If you would like to learn more news about the world of Formula 1? Then why not check out “Formula 1: Welcome to the Hungarian Grand Prix!” or “Max Verstappen: 5 Reasons Why His Title Is In Jeopardy!”
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