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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?

#102

Why on Earth would Twitch let themselves be bought by a company that was in the news just a few months ago for systematically destroying the Let's Play community?

Let's not pretend, many of us would do the same. Many people would quickly forget their opinion for $1M. And we are talking a billion. Can't judge those guys.

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

#103
Does anyone roughly know what Twitch's revenue/profitability is? I know that they're pretty profitable, but I'm not sure to what extent.

1 billion USD seems somewhat low considering Snapchat was valued at 3.5 billion, and I'm pretty sure their revenues are non existent in comparison to Twitch's revenues.

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

#104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, the buyer also happens to have plenty cash laying around in offshore locations, waiting to be used for things like this.

Can offshore cash be used for acquisitions without being taxed on repatriation?

it'll be taxed on repatriation, but it doesn't have to be repatriated to be used. if you buy something with foreign cash, it's the seller's job to get it into their country.

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

#105
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[deleted]

Presently, yes. However, it does not have the same long-term potential as Twitch. Snapchat is ephemeral, a trend.

I don't think it not having long term potential is a fact. Let's wait and see what they are planning before making those claims.

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

#106
post #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…

I don't see how this means less competition. Who else is even directly in the game streaming business?

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

#107
Congrats to Justin and everyone involved in Twitch!

As a side note: most of my friends are LoL fans, and I seriously believe professional gaming will be one of the major professional sports in the next few years, perhaps on the level of Hockey. They're super normal, social, extroverted people - yet they'll interrupt a trip to make us watch a LoL match on Twitch. They all came of it independently too.

I really believe Twitch could have been a big, independent company. They did what they thought was right and I NEVER want to be that guy that craps on acquisitions, but I wish this one hadn't happened. I was rooting for Twitch big time. Still, very happy for them, hope YouTube does this right! I assume if everyone doesn't Riot (pun intended) the technical chops at YouTube will actually make Twitch a much more pleasant place.

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

#108

Was Twitch a YC company?

Justin.tv was part of the summer 2007 y-combinator batch (with dropbox and disqus among others). Twitch branched off of justin.tv a few years ago (I think technically part of the same legal entity at the moment but I'm not sure- they were trying to separate the infrastructures etc. when I left). Emmett, the CEO of Twitch, is also a partner at Y-combinator if that hasn't changed.
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