The Guardian (UK) quotes VentureBeat that an arrangement has finally been reached between Google and Twitch to join forces for the sum of over $1 billion.
Google and Twitch have made no official comment, but this merger has been widely speculated upon for months. Twitch––a leader in subscription-based video services––is a huge win for Google, which began offering a paid-channel initiative to 30 media partners last year but has seen little reward for its efforts.
By joining forces with Twitch, Google will be able to capitalize on the growth industry of gaming, and will also be able to offer a front row seat to high stakes Egame tournaments and take full advantage of the live-streaming capacity of popular consoles and mobile devices. This live-streaming market is prime for game developers and publishers, and aligns neatly with Google’s biggest acquisition thus far, YouTube. Twitch is built largely around the success of gaming tutorials, videos and walk-throughs that were made popular on YouTube, and Twitch is more than likely a natural addition for Google’s growing family of interconnected users and services.
Source: Guardianlv.com
