‘Free speech’ is emerging as an intriguing new battleground in the world of digital first content. Last week, outspoken right wing commentator Tucker Carlson announced plans to launch a show on Elon Musk’s Twitter, calling it the only remaining large free speech platform in the world. This week, video sharing platform Rumble, which describes itself as “immune to cancel culture”, announced it has signed up social media stars Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed for an exclusive live streamed show.
Cenat was recently named one of the 20 most influential creators currently by Rolling Stone and is the number one most-subscribed streamer in Twitch’s history. However he was recently handed a temporary ban by the Amazon-owned streaming platform. IShowSpeed, who has also attracted controversy, is the number one US-based gaming streamer on YouTube and has amassed more than 1.34 billion views.
The two will launch their first Rumble stream, The Kai ‘N Speed Show, on May 26, 2023. Explaining why they were attracted to the platform, Cenat commented: “Being able to have full creative control was important for us. I’m grateful that we get to do what we always do and combine audiences on a new level with Rumble.”
Rumble chairman and CEO Chris Pavlovski said: “Something that was nearly impossible a year ago is now a reality. As we look ahead to expand our audience and content offerings, Rumble is excited to have two of the top content creators on our platform. Both Speed and Kai have done something that could change the landscape of the internet forever and we’re looking forward to what’s to come of this partnership.”
In February, Cenat streamed 24/7 for 30 straight days from an LA mansion with cameras in every room. The event, which he dubbed the ‘Mafiathon’ in honour of his fanbase, the Kai Mafia, culminated with Cenat accumulating over 306,000 active paid subscribers to his channel, shattering the world record previously held by Ninja and Ludwig, and reaching more than 15 million unique viewers. As reported on The Drop, Cenat also featured in an episode of Sidemen’s 20 vs 1 format.
IShowSpeed is a streamer and rapper known for his intricate audience reactions. In the past two years, he amassed over 16.6 million YouTube subscribers.
Rumble has gone out of its way to sign up celebrities who provoke strong reactions. In September 2022, it hosted a show with Russell Brand, after he was censored on YouTube. It also signed a deal with Andrew Tate, who was later arrested in Romania on suspicion of human trafficking and rape. At time of writing he is under house arrest.
