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YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

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Re: YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

#12
That’s sad. Less competition, worse both for those watching and making content.

Makers of (gaming-related) content for YouTube – worried about the future of YouTube – have often already been relying on Twitch to provide them some stability, to stand on more than one leg. This competition also insured that YouTube couldn’t do literally anything. Makers of content had a place to go if things didn’t work out.

This is a potentially great move for Google and more specifically YouTube, but I don’t see any upside for anyone else (ignoring those profiting from the sale for the moment).

Re: YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

#13
post #3

If confirmed, this would definitely be a smart decision. Twitch will be extremely important in ecosystem development as e-sports break in the mainstream worldwide. Lots of engaged eyeballs. Google near monopoly on online video market bugs me though, community at large would benefit from multiple players and more competition.

One will argue that 'e-sports' already peaked in 2002.

Re: YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

#15
post #3

If confirmed, this would definitely be a smart decision. Twitch will be extremely important in ecosystem development as e-sports break in the mainstream worldwide. Lots of engaged eyeballs. Google near monopoly on online video market bugs me though, community at large would benefit from multiple players and more competition.

Agreed about the growing e-sports market. Plus the Twitch Plays Pokemon experiment showed how it could break in to the casual market as well.

Re: YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

#16
Twitch has rapidly become the site I stay on the longest, mostly for Hearthstone and Magic the Gathering streams. It's the first time I enjoy watching a "sport" live. Just a few hours ago I decided to pay for a Twitch account in order to not see ads, something I wish YouTube would allow me to do (I don't want to use AdBlock, because I think it's unethical).

I hope that if this is true, it's a feature that YouTube will copy and not one that will be disabled in the future.

Re: YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

#17
post #6

It's worth noting that Twitch partially became popular because it wasn't YouTube , and gamers could stream without content restrictions (e.g. copyright and region) Miraculously, this could end up making YouTube comments even worse .

While I do see this being an excellent acquisition for YouTube if true, I do agree. I don't see how YouTube could reconcile it's copyright stance with how Twitch fundamentally works.

IF this is true, I would think a lot of due diligence and legal counsel was discussed before moving forward. Especially with a deal this size. And if that's the case, perhaps YouTube would be adopting Twitch's less restrictive copyright policies. Because otherwise, what else would YouTube get out of Twitch?

Re: YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

#19
post #13
post #3

If confirmed, this would definitely be a smart decision. Twitch will be extremely important in ecosystem development as e-sports break in the mainstream worldwide. Lots of engaged eyeballs. Google near monopoly on online video market bugs me though, community at large would benefit from multiple players and more competition.

One will argue that 'e-sports' already peaked in 2002.

I disagree. Games like Dota 2 and League of Legends are filling sports stadiums and giving out multi-million dollar prize pools these days. If anything, at least in the United States, they are on the rise.

Re: YouTube to Acquire Videogame-Streaming Service Twitch for $1 Billion?

#20
post #9

If they do acquire Twitch I hope that they still let it run separately and just improve the back end (as while it has improved it still lags for a lot of people around the world). I worry if they tried to roll it into youtube that it would turn people away. Their numbers are pretty dependent on a small number of League/ Dota/ Hearthstone and a few other games casters and steamers.

I agree, Twitch livestreams is unwatchable for me most of the times I have tried to use it.

Youtube on the other hand, while available, have worked quite good.

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