Amazon, Not Google, to Buy Twitch for > $1B

[JBHuskers]

http://online.wsj.com/articles/amazon-to-buy-video-site-twitch-for-more-than-1-billion-1408988885

[SmoothPancakes]

Can us non-WSJ subscribers get a summary posted?

[JBHuskers]

Can us non-WSJ subscribers get a summary posted?

I'm not a subscriber and I can see it.

Edit: Or was able to until now :fp:

[JBHuskers]

Can us non-WSJ subscribers get a summary posted?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/26/technology/amazon-nears-a-deal-for-twitch.html?_r=0

Amazon is close to an agreement to buy Twitch, a fast-growing Internet streaming service with a passionate following among gamers, according to two people briefed on the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Amazon is expected to pay more than $1 billion for Twitch as part of a deal, according to one of these people. Amazon could announce the deal as early as Monday afternoon, the person said.

Amazon appears to have beat out Google’s YouTube, with which Twitch had earlier held exploratory talks about a deal. The Information, a technology news site, reported on Amazon’s acquisition talks with Twitch.

Twitch is one of the few video streaming sites to find a large audience in an era dominated by YouTube. The company’s service is especially popular among gamers who use Twitch to broadcast live streams of their game-playing sessions to anyone who wants to watch them. Gamers can do so from their PCs, along with consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Twitch has more than 55 million unique viewers a month, with more than 16 billion minutes of video watched per month on the service. More than 1.1 million unique broadcasters use Twitch to stream video.

Representatives for Twitch and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

[psuexv]

It's official!!!

http://www.twitch.tv/p/thankyou


Letter from the CEO
August 25, 2014

Dear Twitch Community,

It’s almost unbelievable that slightly more than 3 years ago, Twitch didn’t exist. The moment we launched, we knew we had stumbled across something special. But what followed surprised us as much as anyone else, and the impact it’s had on both the community and us has been truly profound.

Your talent, your passion, your dedication to gaming, your memes, your brilliance - these have made Twitch what it is today. Every day, we strive to live up to the standard set by you, the community. We want to create the very best place to share your gaming and life online, and that mission continues to guide us.

Together with you, we’ve found new ways of connecting developers and publishers with their fans. We’ve created a whole new kind of career that lets people make a living sharing their love of games. We’ve brought billions of hours of entertainment, laughter, joy and the occasional ragequit. I think we can all call that a pretty good start.

Today, I’m pleased to announce we’ve been acquired by Amazon. We chose Amazon because they believe in our community, they share our values and long-term vision, and they want to help us get there faster. We’re keeping most everything the same: our office, our employees, our brand, and most importantly our independence. But with Amazon’s support we’ll have the resources to bring you an even better Twitch.

I personally want to thank you, each and every member of the Twitch community, for what you’ve created. Thank you for putting your faith in us. Thank you for sticking with us through growing pains and stumbles. Thank you for bringing your very best to us and sharing it with the world. Thank you, from a group of gamers who never dreamed they’d get to help shape the face of the industry that we love so much.

It’s dangerous to go alone. On behalf of myself and everyone else at Twitch, thank you for coming with us.

Emmett Shear, CEO

[SmoothPancakes]

Good, now get rid of the audio killing crap.

Sent from my Droid Maxx using Tapatalk because I'm a lazy ass

[CLW]

Good, now get rid of the audio killing crap.

Sent from my Droid Maxx using Tapatalk because I'm a lazy ass

Nope b/c Amazon sells music. Not really sure what Amazon wants/needs with Twitch (unless they really are working on their own console) but should be interesting.

[JBHuskers]

Nope b/c Amazon sells music. Not really sure what Amazon wants/needs with Twitch (unless they really are working on their own console) but should be interesting.
They're definitely pimping games hard for Fire TV. If you go to the video games section, Fire TV is listed first. I'm a big Amazon fan, but that made me :fp:

[JBHuskers]

Amazon Promises Not To Change Twitch Following Buyout (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/amazon-promises-not-to-change-twitch-following-buy/1100-6421918/)