Streamer University

Kai Cenat’s Streamer University Changed Streaming Forever

Over the weekend, creators officially graduated from Kai Cenat’s Streamer University (if they didn’t get expelled first). In the first 24 hours, there were more than 1 million applicants to the school. Of those, only 104 streamers were chosen to actually attend. Eighteen creators were also selected as professors, teaching mandatory classes and serving as experts in their respective fields.

Some of the biggest artists included DDG, India Westbrooks, Cooking with Kya, Wendy Ortiz, Ray, and Agent00. Of course, Kai was the dean of the school. The event took place from May 22 to 25 at the University of Akron, where attendees had access to dorms, lecture halls, sports facilities, and dining halls. Moments from the weekend dominated my feeds on every platform, and I have to say I’m a little sad that it’s over.

Streamer University By The Numbers

1️⃣ 175K average viewers on the Streamer University category (719K peak over the weekend)

2️⃣ Over 1 million creators applied, with only 120 selected to attend the university

3️⃣ 23 million hours watched on the Streamer University category on Twitch (that’s 2,750 years of content)

4️⃣ Kai’s channel peaked at 640K viewers on move-in day, making it the second most-watched Kai stream ever, right behind the Kevin Hart + Druski stream

5️⃣ More than 10 classes offered, including Culinary Arts, Defense Against Hating, Monetization for Dummies, Music Production, and Sex Education

Professors Taught Incredibly Valuable Classes

If you're a young kid who wants to get into streaming, there are hours of valuable content available from the weekend.

Two classes stood out to me that I think provided incredible value from some of the biggest streamers in the industry right now. The first was Agent’s class on Streaming 101. I went ahead and summarized some of the biggest takeaways from his lecture:

My second favorite class was DDG’s Internet Beef 101. While I think a lot of the presentation leaned more toward entertainment than practical value, I do feel that if you ever find yourself in the middle of internet beef, this lecture is probably one of your best resources. I found this slide titled “Techniques of Master Beefers” particularly interesting:

A slide from DDG’s Internet Beef presentation

I’m not surprised that people who attended the lectures and watched online actually felt like they were learning about the industry from professors.

Who Were the Standouts?

If you look at the top-growing Twitch accounts by followers this week, the vast majority of them are Streamer University graduates. When I think about who really stole the show, it was Ray (+500K followers), Tylil (+414K followers), and Wendy Ortiz (+300K followers).

Is Kai Going To Do This Again?

It was an obvious success, but so much work went into pulling this off. There were a lot of sleepless nights from Kai’s team, the Night team, university police and security, and support from the University of Akron. The event was also very expensive, with Kai fronting much of the cost to make sure streamers didn’t have to pay for their time enrolled. We’ll have to see if Kai does a Streamer University 2. He does own the official IP, but I think the man needs a break.

Kai presenting at the AMAs not even a day after Streamer University commencement

The Big Takeaway

Kai Cenat’s first Streamer University was an incredible success. From announcing the event and opening applications, to 1 million creators applying, and finally getting everyone on flights to Akron to begin the session, this entire process was the first of its kind. Even though there were plenty of entertaining moments, students also learned valuable lessons from people like Agent00, who provided some of the most industry-relevant knowledge. This event transcended Twitch too, getting a shoutout from Drake at commencement and SZA at the AMAs. Congrats to Kai and everyone who pulled Streamer University off 🫡