Report: YouTube to Buy Twitch For $1Billion

It has been reported that Google, Youtube's parent company is trying to buy the video game broadcasting site Twitch

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Sources with Varietyare reporting that YouTube is working on a deal to buy the video game broadcasting site Twitch for $1 billion. While sources are conflicted about just how “imminent” the deal may be, it does seem to be in talks. If it does go through however Google, YouTube's parent company, would be locking down the most highly trafficked sites on the Internet.

Since Twitch's launched in 2011 it has become not only the premiere game viewing and broadcasting site but also created new forms of gaming. Projects like Twitch Plays Pokemonlet thousands of users play the same game at once. Twitch is so big that during peak hours it actually has more traffic than Google, Facebook or Amazon.

Youtube lacks a strong streaming presence and pulling Twitch into the fold would make sense. Especially since the launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles have built-in Twitch functionality and most set-top streaming boxes not used for gaming, such as Roku, have Twitch apps already.

Twitch would not respond to rumours at this time but The Verge is reporting the deal is done and now the company is just working out the details. Stay tuned for more.

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[via The Verge, Variety]

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