Google has reportedly signed a deal to acquire Twitch, the live streaming service that’s popular with gamers.
It was reported that a $1 billion deal was on the table back in May, though some reports at the time claimed that negotiations were only at an early stage.
Now VentureBeat is claiming that the deal has been signed and sealed.
Together with YouTube, the deal would make Google the undisputed king of online video sharing. In fact, it’s the company’s YouTube division that is said to be in charge of the Twitch deal, some eight years after its own $1.65 billion acquisition.
Twitch has found itself at the heart of modern video game culture, becoming the prime service for live streaming games-related broadcasts. Indeed, the service is integral to the sharing features of both the PS4 and the Xbox One, as well as being popular with PC gamers.
The result is that Twitch now has more than 50 million monthly active users, and is the prime destination for the broadcast of eSports games.
YouTube, for its part, has attempted to offer its own broadcast services, but has thus far been unable to match Twitch’s appeal to gamers. Google’s existing video service remains the king of video uploads, of course, with one billion users worldwide. But it’s been unable to hit a similarly winning formula with live video.
What will really appeal to YouTube and Google, however, is the fact that Twitch users tend to spend more time watching broadcasts and videos than YouTube users, which would have obvious benefits for the company’s advertising model.
There’s been no statement from Google or Twitch on the matter as yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
