Google’s $1B purchase of Twitch confirmed — joins YouTube for new video empire

[Aps]

Source - http://venturebeat.com/2014/07/24/googles-1b-purchase-of-twitch-confirmed-joins-youtube-for-new-video-empire/

 

Another article on the subject - http://www.gamespot.com/articles/googles-deal-to-buy-twitch-confirmed-according-to-/1100-6421288/

 

'We don’t know everything about this deal, such as when it will be announced and the exact purchase price. We do know that Twitch investors who participated in past rounds are pleased that they will be getting significant returns that are multiple times the amount they originally invested. The deal underscores the value of live Internet streaming and the rise of competitive gaming as a spectator sport — something that draws millions of viewers, can offer prize pools that surpass pro golf’s marquee events, and provides a multibillion dollar opportunity for advertisers.'

 

Yet to have a statement from Google about this, so not much more I can add to this. I wonder what this means for streamers, if it means anything? Right now this is just a rumour, no official statement from Google to confirm or deny this. 

 

I personally think if this is true it could:

A - be a good thing, helping out streamers and creating a better streaming service.

 

B- Be terrible, Google realize it sucks and then they go what Google does best and just cut Twitch.

 

Honestly I do prefer the YouTube live streams when I can get them more than I do the Twitch ones due to being able to pause and rewind. I use the YouTube stream for LCS all the time, even if I miss the first few matches I can load it up and click back to the start of the video! This is a feature I'd love to see in Twitch. 

[Askew]

Damn, they paid $1.65bn for YouTube, I'm amazed that Twitch was worth so much!

[Lays]

meh.

[Aps]

Damn, that was a more expensive aquisition than YouTube!

I'd say worth though. I wonder if Google do take over Twitch how much money Google would take from the streamers profits, if any.

[coen113]

So it's "confirmed" but not confirmed?

[Askew]

I'd say worth though. I wonder if Google do take over Twitch how much money Google would take from the streamers profits, if any.

 

I got them the wrong way round I edited, sorry.

[BonBon Scott]

"Google+ added to Twitch with latest update" 

 

*everyone quits the internet*

[Syntaxvgm]

Well now Viacom will have to find a way to force google to fuck it up. 

[terrytek]

NO. FUCK NO. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS EVEN IF SOMEONE BRIBED ME.

[Aps]

So it's "confirmed" but not confirmed?

I didn't name the article I named this post the same as the article, right now this is all speculation but you know what the Internet is like.

[Foxxer]

Here we go with the ridiculous ads again  

[ThyFeared]

Google: "You're now forced to use G+ to stream and chat!"

Internet: GG

[Fred Castellum]

Heh my guess is investors will see little value in the twitch acquisition if it happens at all. 

[jmaster299]

Google's reversal to not require real names on Google+ anymore makes more sense now. It's just speculation, but it's possible that was a requirement by Twitch for the acquisition.

[Coombzy]

R.I.P Twitch...

[Damikiller37]

As long as they do what supposedly Facebook is doing with Oculus, being that they are only putting money into it and not effecting how the company works in a way that would merge it with Facebook but instead keeping it separate from Facebook then it will be all good.... but if they dare putting Google + all over it and messing with the Twitch website and start breaking things like they did with YouTube I will seriously be mad.

[fishymindz]

i got a youtube style add today with skib buttom looked exactly like those on youtube havent seen that before on twitch

[mr moose]

Regardless of if it does or does not go through,  the internet is just evolving through 50 years of supply/demand corporate shifting in a contracted 10 year space,  as servers and domestic internet becomes faster/cheaper the playing field will eventually level and we will be left with about 5 major players to choose from for large scale services.  I would be much more worried about government control and security than this.

[Aps]

As long as they do what supposedly Facebook is doing with Oculus, being that they are only putting money into it and not effecting how the company works in a way that would merge it with Facebook but instead keeping it separate from Facebook then it will be all good.... but if they dare putting Google + all over it and messing with the Twitch website and start breaking things like they did with YouTube I will seriously be mad.

I agree with you here. Google could make or break Twitch here, and we all know what Google does to the things that fail for them...

[Derangel]

As long as they do what supposedly Facebook is doing with Oculus, being that they are only putting money into it and not effecting how the company works in a way that would merge it with Facebook but instead keeping it separate from Facebook then it will be all good.... but if they dare putting Google + all over it and messing with the Twitch website and start breaking things like they did with YouTube I will seriously be mad.

 

Considering that Google fired the people that merged + with Youtube I think it's safe to assume that won't happen with Twitch.

[AlexGoesHigh]

everyone commenting about g+ integration, forget that and think bigger, that not the worst thing that could happen, the worst is baseless copyright claims and DMCA takedowns, if google truly ends up owning twitch, that going to be the major issues just like youtube, did you guy forgot the mess that happened in november about copyright claims, almost all the gaming channels got copyright strikes and most of them were outright ridiculous, because of trolls and the automated system which flags video automatically without even sending the info to the supposed owner of the content, here are just one the many cases, also IIRC either nerd cubed or totalbiscuit got automatically flagged by valve during that mess, the culprit supposedly was the automated system, so yeah g+ integration should be the least of your worries

[Ashley]

I think everyone is overreacting a bit...

 

Google learned their lesson with G+ integration into YouTube and got major hate for it. They're backing off on G+, and name enforcement and such because they know it is not popular. They need traffic to keep their sites up and money flowing in.

 

However... I am worried about copyright issues.

[Gunzkewl]

I think everyone is overreacting a bit...

 

Google learned their lesson with G+ integration into YouTube and got major hate for it. They're backing off on G+, and name enforcement and such because they know it is not popular. They need traffic to keep their sites up and money flowing in.

 

However... I am worried about copyright issues.

Backing off how? We are still stuck with G+ 

[Ashley]

Backing off how? We are still stuck with G+ 

My mistake. My account has been broken ever since and I didn't really ever agree to the integration until awhile after it had been done and I've heard bits and pieces of news about Google backpeddling on G+ policies.

 

Even after agreeing to it my account still can't post comments. So I can't enter into a lot of these give aways Linus and other YouTubers do.

[sof006]

While I hate the idea of G+ integration (if it happens) I do like the idea of Google buying them as Twitch has some pretty serious streaming issues. The amount of time's I have sat and waited for a stream to buffer is beyond annoying. I shouldn't be buffering on an 80Meg download speed and 20Meg upload.