YouTube to acquire videogame service Twitch for $1B

It looks like business and developments in the net world may pick up in a whole new way in terms of video streaming and content, as Google’s own video service subsidiary YouTube has apparently reached a deal with San Francisco-based videogame stream service Twitch, reportedly set to buy the latter for an estimated $1 Billion Dollars.

 

Launched in 2011 by Justin.tv co-founders Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, Twitch is one of the first websites that allow users to host live-streaming videos, including live gameplay from consoles like the Microsfot Xbox One and Sony Playstation 4. Gaming tournaments such as the annual EVO Fighting Game Series have also been held on the site, with various channels also being hosted by known gaming news companies such as Gamespot and Joystiq.

 

According to Variety and Kotaku, negotiations are still in their early stages. However, YouTube is seemingly not backing down from its intent to acquire Twitch, seeing the potential the company has as a streaming service with the growing popularity and position it has with next-generation gaming. 

 

Founded in 2005 by former Paypal employees Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim, YouTube is the most popular video-sharing website in the world, which allows people to view, upload, and share videos with anyone in the world wide web. Google then bought the company in 2006 for $1.65 billion dollars, and in addition to displaying individual and user videos, also broadcasts licensed and corporate-media content which range from clips from music and movies to educational and tutorial services.

 

It remains to be seen whether the acquisition will indeed push thru or not, but several netizens have already voiced concern over the news, especially in regards to YouTube’s content policies. Streamers may likely be subjected to the same ground rules and prohibitions, and may not have free reign to produce shows or live stream certain videos without proper clearance or authority. Either way, it will only be enforced once it becomes clear that the deal is actually pushing through and more updates when this story develops. — TJD, GMA News