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[AnathemicOne]

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Google’s YouTube has reached a deal to buy Twitch, a popular videogame-streaming company, for more than $1 billion, according to sources familiar with the pact.

The deal, in an all-cash offer, is expected to be announced imminently, sources said. If completed the acquisition would be the most significant in the history of YouTube, which Google acquired in 2006 for $1.65 billion. The impending acquisition comes after longtime Google ad exec Susan Wojcicki was named CEO of YouTube earlier this year.

Reps for YouTube and Twitch declined to comment.

San Francisco-based Twitch lets users upload and watch free, live gameplay videos that can be streamed from Microsoft Xbox and PlayStation 4 consoles. The company claims to have more than 45 million monthly users, with more than 1 million members who upload videos each month. It also has deals to distribute shows from partners including CBS Interactive’s GameSpot, Joystiq and Destructoid.

http://variety.com/2014/digital/new...vice-twitch-for-1-billion-sources-1201185204/

 

[strafer]

Streaming just went to shit.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Let's Pay.

 

[hateradio]

Is this for real? How are they going to mess this up, I wonder.

Let's Pay.

Let's remove all videos that feature any video game not authorized by IP owners.

 

[saelz8]

Wow.

 

[strikeselect]

Google plus log in required

 

[Ambition]

Ugh, Google's monopoly on media is really annoying.

 

[NYR]

Jesus fucking Christ.

Star Wars is worth 4 twitch's. The fuck is wrong with people.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Twitch lets users upload and watch free, live gameplay videos that can be streamed from Microsoft Xbox and PlayStation 4 consoles

typical. give credit to the one that had nothing at all with the success of it.

 

[Hot Coldman]

HA WHAT

This is great news. Twitch now has a fucking arseload of servers to use, no? No more having every stream goes balls up because of a LoL tournament.

EDIT: Oh wait. Content ID.

Shit.

 

[sqwarlock]

Great, now we're going to be forced to use our real names on Twitch now.

 

[Dark Octave]

Well that's shitty. I was just starting to care about Twitch through PS4 streaming and just made an account last night. I guess a lot of changes are in store.

 

[-COOLIO-]

cool cool cool

 

[Aesius]

Damn. The founders of Twitch just got PAID.

All these people getting rich and I'm just slaving away, hoping for a half-day off.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

Since Twitch is a popular videogame-streaming company this is better for the gaming side.

 

[dvdjamm]

All cash? You know they took that...

 

[element]

Would have expected more.

 

[Deadstar]

Cool so I can use my google plus account as my default log in?

How long till 3 corporations own everything?

 

[Neoxon]

I guess Google figured out that most the LP YouTubers went to Twitch after the Content ID thing.

 

[Sun Bather]

Do you want to use your google plus account?

Do you want to use your google plus account?

Do you want to use your google plus account?

Do you want to use your google plus account?

Do you want to use your google plus account?

If no we will punish you with this terrible redesign.

 

[ISOM]

Streaming just went to shit.

Youtube has actually done streaming really well. People just love to hate youtube to hate.

 

[Courage]

Since Twitch is a popular videogame-streaming company this is better for the gaming side.

seriously?

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Twitch founders just got PAID! Its an all cash deal. Wow.
Now its google plus and using our real names on twitch. :|

 

[Anno]

Actually seems like a good price given all the other recent media pickups. YouTube+Twitch combined should make for some epic buffering times.

 

[TheRealTalker]

COPY RIGHTS
COPY RIGHTS
EVERYWHERE

 

[Sectorseven]

Why is this a bad thing? Maybe Youtube will adapt their streaming tech and look really nice.

 

[Bluekaveli]

Gamers lost on this one lol.

 

[Kurdel]

Weird that it's framed as a Youtube acquisition, from a PR perspective.

 

[Sami+]

Better servers now?

 

[EightBitNate]

Why would you use Twitch over Ustream anyway?

 

[Crayons]

Now you can talk with other people watching the stream with your Real Name™

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

I don't know why anyone would be shitting on YouTube streams. Hangouts look great, Coachella has been streamed without many issues. Same with Presidential debates.

 

[plainr_]

Just a billion?

 

[dhonk]

I miss when everything was its own entity.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

seriously?

 

[Rentahamster]

Probably good for performance issues...but the username issues are probably going to get fucked.

 

[Slowdive]

Wow.

 

[KarmaCow]

Youtube style ContentID'ing would ruin Twitch so Google is going to treat it differently right?

 

[Neoxon]

Probably good for performance issues...but the username issues are probably going to get fucked.

I still have a username on YouTube. You can just as easily decline to use your real name.

 

[Red Liquorice]

Farewell Twitch.

 

[Slayven]

What will the cam girls do now?

 

[Mr-Joker]

ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ RIOT ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ

 

[hateradio]

Google plus log in required

Damn it.

Probably good for performance issues...but the username issues are probably going to get fucked.

Real names, real names everywhere (in five years).

 

[hyp]

another user base purchase. Google doesn't give a shit about gamers.

 

[Sn4ke_911]

btw. this is still a rumor and nothing has been officially confirmed.

 

[bodyboarder]

Wow.

Really puts things in perspective, google paid $1.6 billion for YouTube back in 06. That tech bubble 2.0 bursting will be a sight to see.

 

[Booshka]

Well now I'm worried.

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

Why

 

[styl3s]

Why is everyone always so butthurt over google+? You know, you can just create a dummy account with a fake name to use, right?

Takes about 8 seconds to set up.

 

[JBourne]

Kappa