SAN FRANCISCO - Twitch streamer Kai Cenat broke the record for most subscriptions on the Amazon-owned service on Tuesday, with the number topping 300,000.
The 21-year-old rocketed to fame on the platform at a nearly unprecedented rate by live streaming Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V and chatting with his fans, who pay US$5 (S$6.70) to US$25 to subscribe to his Twitch content.
After just two years on Twitch, Cenat beat previous records set by stars Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Ludwig Ahgren, who reached over 283,000 subscriptions in 2021.
Cenat started his subscription drive on Feb 1, the first day of Black History Month, which celebrates the achievements of African Americans as well as their role in United States history, and has been going non-stop, even keeping the camera on as he sleeps.
“This is legendary,” Cenat told the 200,000 people watching as the ticker blew past Ahgren’s record.
Cenat’s fame also has broken through into the world of mainstream pop culture, with the streamer appearing in a music video with rapper Lil Uzi Vert.
“This has been the hardest thing to do in my life and I’m glad I did it. We did it,” he said on Tuesday. “Whatever you want to do, you can do it.”
Ms Laura Lee, Twitch’s chief content officer, said it was “thrilling to see Kai and his community make waves and be seen”.
“We are excited to see what they create together next,” she added. BLOOMBERG
