Several people have been interviewed and equipment seized by police investigating the death of an internet streamer who was known for taking part in extreme online challenges.
Raphael Graven, who went by Jean Pormanove, was found dead in Contes, near Nice, on Sunday night. A post-mortem is taking place.
Viewers of the Frenchman’s last live stream on the Twitch-like platform Kick had reportedly become concerned about him lying lifeless on a mattress, unresponsive to their comments.
“Several interviews with people present at the time of the death have been conducted, but at this stage they have not provided any guidance as to the causes of the death,” said Nice’s public prosecutor Damien Martinelli.
“Numerous seizures of equipment and videos were made in order to clarify the events that occurred prior to the death and which may have contributed to it,” he added.
According to France24, prosecutors said the 46-year-old had been in an accommodation rented for the purpose of broadcasting live internet streams. The broadcast had reportedly been running for 10 days.
French newspaper Le Monde said Graven was known for participating in videos in which he suffered apparent violence and humiliation, alongside two colleagues.
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France’s digital technology minister, Clara Chappaz, said he had been “humiliated and abused for months” and confirmed that “a judicial investigation is underway”.
“Holding online platforms responsible for the dissemination of illegal content is not an option: it is the law.
“This type of failure can lead to the worst and has no place in France, Europe, or anywhere else.”
Streaming platform Kick has been making waves since it was launched in early 2023.
Built as a competitor to the Amazon-owned platform Twitch, it hosts livestreaming for everyone from gamers to influencers to gamblers.
Although Kick’s ownership isn’t fully public, it is backed by some of the founders of the online casino Stake.com and streamers can currently make more on Kick than on other platforms.
While Twitch lets creators keep 50% of their profit, and YouTube lets creators keep 70%, Kick lets creators keep 95% of their earnings, according to Internet Matters.
Those potential earnings have drawn a number of streamers – and their fans – over to the newer platform.
Kick currently boasts around 57 million users worldwide, according to data reported by Digiday in April.
Although its community guidelines have been recently updated, Kick is seen as having a more relaxed approach to moderation.
This approach has led to some influencers who are banned on other platforms making their way over to Kick.
Sarah El Hairy, France’s high commissioner for children, described his death as “horrifying”.
“Platforms have an immense responsibility to regulate online content so that our children are not exposed to violent content,” she said. “I urge parents to be extremely vigilant.”
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Graven had more than one million followers across social media.
He was particularly popular on Kick, which was founded in 2022 as a competitor to Amazon-owned Twitch. It’s known for having looser moderation and offers creators a higher share of revenue.
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A spokesperson for Kick told Sky News: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Jean Pormanove and extend our condolences to his family, friends, and community.
“We are urgently reviewing the circumstances and engaging with relevant stakeholders to investigate the situation.
“Kick’s community guidelines are designed to protect creators, and we remain committed to upholding these standards across our platform.”
