22-year-old Kai Cenat is currently holding a month-long marathon stream on Twitch. He has already set a record and earned about $1 million in the first 250 hours.
What kind of streamer is this? Kai Cenat is an American streamer who has only been active on Twitch since February 2021. However, within a very short time he became one of the biggest streamers on the platform: just a year and a half later, he pushed the former Overwatch professional xQc from the sub-throne.
In 2023, Kai Cenat broke two records on Twitch with his “Mafiathon,” a month-long streaming marathon: He became the streamer with the most active subs of all time and was the first to ever break the mark of 300,000 simultaneously active subscriptions. Even rapper Drake congratulated the streamer.
Kai Cenat is currently hosting the “Mafiathon II” and is getting back the record that a pink-haired anime girl had stolen from him. The streamer has been on air continuously for over 250 hours – apart from a short interruption when Kai Cenat was banned from Twitch for a few minutes.
So it’s a single – albeit very long – stream
Before he sold himself to Kick for a lot of money, xQc was number 1 on Twitch:
From Overwatch Pro to #1 on Twitch to $100 Million – Who is xQc?
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Kai Cenat is the new old Twitch world champion
This is how things are going for Kai Cenat right now: The streamer is still in the middle of his subathon, but the marathon stream is already a complete success. In the early morning hours of November 12th, Kai Cenat hit 326,252 simultaneous subs, reclaiming his record after just under a month and a half.
The 22-year-old is now once again the streamer with the most simultaneously active paid subscriptions – and the subathon is far from over. So it’s quite possible that the record streamer will still crack 400,000.
You can see the big moment here (watch out, loud!):
How much money is that? Kai Cenat currently has over 333,000 subs, mostly valued at $4.99 – the more expensive Tier 2 and Tier 3 subs are negligible. However, Twitch retains a share of the subs; for a streamer of the size of Kai Cenat, you can assume 30% if he has not concluded another deal.
Then around 1.1 million dollars should still end up in the streamer’s account, i.e. around one million euros. However, 20% of the income should not go to Kai Cenat, but rather to a project with which the streamer wants to build a school in Nigeria.
Fans applaud streamers, others are critical
How is this discussed? Kai Cenat is widely celebrated for his success by his fans. The Vtuber ironmouse, who previously held the record, is also impressed: She even believes that the streamer could crack 1 million subs (via X).
But not everyone is so enthusiastic. A user on
After all, these content creators most likely have more money than most fans who subscribe – wouldn’t the sub be better off with a smaller streamer?
In the case of Kai Cenat, several points probably come together. This is how some fans respond to the user: You’re supporting a good cause, and it’s cool to be involved in such a record.
The 22-year-old also plays a special role on Twitch because the majority of the top streamers are still white. As a black American who comes from difficult backgrounds and fought his way to the top of the streaming platform, Kai Cenat serves as a role model, especially for younger African-American viewers who are otherwise hardly represented.
In addition, Kai Cenat has a good connection with celebrities: He has already had celebrities such as actor Kevin Hart, rappers Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dogg, and wrestler John Cena as guests on his stream.
The 22-year-old turns his streams into spectacular events with star guests and a lot of entertainment program – and it pays off.
Kai Cenat is not the only streamer who is currently collecting paid subscriptions with a streaming marathon. It can be observed again and again that in such a subathon it is less about the number of viewers and more about activating your community: The number 196 on Twitch accidentally shows his income – earns 3 years’ salary in one month