YouTube to Acquire Twitch for $1 Billion (rumor)

Zaphid

Zaphid

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YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion: Sources | Variety
Google?s YouTube has reached a deal to buy Twitch, a popular videogame-streaming company, for more than $1 billion, according to sources familiar with the pact.

The deal, in an all-cash offer, is expected to be announced imminently, sources said. If completed the acquisition would be the most significant in the history of YouTube, which Google acquired in 2006 for $1.65 billion. The impending acquisition comes after longtime Google ad exec Susan Wojcicki was named CEO of YouTube earlier this year.

Reps for YouTube and Twitch declined to comment.

San Francisco-based Twitch lets users upload and watch free, live gameplay videos that can be streamed from Microsoft Xbox and PlayStation 4 consoles. The company claims to have more than 45 million monthly users, with more than 1 million members who upload videos each month. It also has deals to distribute shows from partners including CBS Interactive?s GameSpot, Joystiq and Destructoid.
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While it seems like Google has finally figured out the fact that nobody likes getting DP'd by Google+, content claims and ID's can now ruin your internet experience even more !

I'd actually like it if the regulators stopped this deal, because the portfolio of Google's internet services is getting pretty ridiculous at this point, but man can dream...
 
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Syringed_sl

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If you can't beat your competition then buy them out.

I'm kind of hoping this will backfire and people will just abandon twitch once Google attempts to cram in unwanted Google+/Youtube's shitty rules and system. There's still hitbox.tv around until Google decides to gobble them up too.

Honestly, I don't see the FCC or the government doing anything to stop this shit. I think what it's going to take is Google shutting down the wrong youtube/twitch account from someone who makes videos/streams for a living; Someone who's quit their real job and put their whole time into youtube/twitch and made it their dream job. After the first contentID crackdown, they had some people on youtube who looked like they were 10 seconds from becoming William Foster in Falling Down. It, unfortunately, usually takes someone going fucking ape-shit before people decide there's a problem.
 
KCXIV

KCXIV

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Great, more google plus forced down our fucking throats. its just a matter of time, if this rumor is true. I cant blame the dudes at Twitch. I would have sold for a billion too.
 
C

Column_sl

shitlord
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I think it's shit to be honest, but whatever.

The last couple years of Twitch have been great, so can't complain too much.
 
Delly

Delly

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Twitch is good sometimes and absolute shit other times. For nearly a week straight any stream I went to buffered every couple minutes but I could download, watch netflix, play games, or any other thing at full speed.

And every time I see someone complain about G+ I wonder if they've even paid attention to whats going on with it. Youtube was great at first until all the regulations/changes started.. which didn't happen right away after Google acquired YT.
 
iannis

iannis

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Syringed_sl said:
If you can't beat your competition then buy them out.
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Bill Gates built an empire that way. And he wouldn't have been stopped if he hadn't been making such preferential hardware deals to go along with it.

Google has a good stretch before they get Trusted.
 
Needless

Needless

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Google would absolutely have to sign a non-competition clause on a sale like this. They would absolutely devour them, enforce a shit ton of rules that would drive streamers away and eventually kill off anybody that isn't that faggot pewdiepie.

Otherwise twitch would sell, and start up as another company continuing the same service they did with an extra billion dollars revenue to back them up.

Good for twitch, good for youtube, bad for everybody else.
 
Folanlron

Folanlron

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please be false....

it bad enough when I'm traveling for work that most of the Youtube channels, I can't watch sense I'm out of the US ~ and VPN's suck shit.

And also, a billion seems low, twitch has grown so much just in this past year, I'd just laugh at Google.
 
Jovec

Jovec

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Folanlron_sl said:
And also, a billion seems low, twitch has grown so much just in this past year, I'd just laugh at Google.
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Who is competing with Google for the right to buy Twitch that would drive up the price? Also, with Google's pockets behind Twitch I'm sure the content lawyers will come out in full force quite soon (IOW, Google has to try to factor in licensing and lawsuits into the purchase price).
 
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Column_sl

shitlord
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Lets be serious no one competes with Google if they want something. That company is just buying everything.
The rumours was MS wanted it, but I don't think that would be good for them given the huge amount of backlash against the company right now.

Streaming companies are just like anything on the internet if the people shun it then they will find a new place to go. So buying Twitch is a huge risk imho.


Thinking about this even more what is Google even buying for a Billion dollars? They certainly aren't buying the technology. Anyone with money can put a Twitch together.

They are buying the Twitch name, and it's current streaming contracts in a time where there is currently no competition. The only reason popular streamers even bother with Twitch is because they make money off the sub buttons, and some on ad revenue.

I think it's a terrible investment IMHO, because if someone pops up something better that pays wells, and is less constrictive on content they will Destroy a Google run Twitch. Maybe that's why this has been leaked to the press to see what the public outcry will be.
 
Zaphid

Zaphid

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Column_sl said:
Lets be serious no one competes with Google if they want something. That company is just buying everything.
The rumours was MS wanted it, but I don't think that would be good for them given the huge amount of backlash against the company right now.

Streaming companies are just like anything on the internet if the people shun it then they will find a new place to go. So buying Twitch is a huge risk imho.


Thinking about this even more what is Google even buying for a Billion dollars? They certainly aren't buying the technology. Anyone with money can put a Twitch together.

They are buying the Twitch name, and it's current streaming contracts in a time where there is currently no competition. The only reason popular streamers even bother with Twitch is because they make money off the sub buttons, and some on ad revenue.

I think it's a terrible investment IMHO, because if someone pops up something better that pays wells, and is less constrictive on content they will Destroy a Google run Twitch. Maybe that's why this has been leaked to the press to see what the public outcry will be.
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They are buying the whole game streaming business - nobody can compete with twitch currently and sure as hell not with Google backing them. They are also buying another generation of content creators and a small revolution in advertisement. The tech must be worth something, simply because there isn't anyone else doing anything similar on that scale, hitbox or azubu are laughably small.
 
Ravishing

Ravishing

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Twitch has a ton of infrastructure, streaming contracts, and most importantly, an audience. $1 billion seemed low when I first read it, especially considering what you hear other shittier companies being bought out for. Like how can Instagram be worth the same as Twitch? Seems like Twitch has a shit ton more hardware & tech... but having a massive user base is just valued so much more than anything else.

An article I read mentioned at least 2 other companies were interested..Microsoft being one. The Twitch guys said they weren't considering any offers where the buyer didn't have sufficient means to meet the demands of Twitch. Right now Twitch is struggling hard to build enough infrastructure to keep up with the growth. They only considered a company which could "partner" with them and make the service stronger. YouTube is really the only company that can do that. Microsoft would probably neglect the real issues and only want to incorporate Twitch into the xbox, only adding to their issues. Im sure there's a boatload of other reasons behind only considering YouTube, but.. yea...
 
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