Two months after rumors surfaced in May about Google’s YouTube unit buying video game streaming vendor Twitch for a reported $1 billion, the deal might actually be happening.
Entertainment trade publication, Variety, originally reported the Twitch acquisition rumor May 19, but it didn’t immediately occur, according to an eWEEK report at the time. Google at the time said it does not comment on rumors.
Now, a new rumor report on the topic has surfaced, saying that Google has finally completed a deal to buy Twitch, according to a story by VentureBeat. The story stated that the deal has been confirmed by investors who were involved in the transaction.
In an email reply to an inquiry from eWEEK about the matter, a Google spokesperson said “We don’t comment on rumor or speculation.”
The original Variety story about the Twitch rumor back in May was based on anonymous sources, according to the report. The Twitch gaming community serves more than 45 million visitors per month who broadcast, watch and chat with each other about gaming around the world, according to Twitch. Twitch works with Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox game consoles.
The purported merger, however, may not be simple. Even back in May, YouTube officials were preparing for U.S. regulators to challenge the Twitch deal, Variety had reported.
Google bought YouTube in October 2006 for $1.65 billion. In March 2013, YouTube announced that it had grown to providing video content for more than 1 billion viewers per month. The popular video-sharing site has helped launch the careers of a slew of entertainers and made celebrities out of ordinary citizens, thanks to viral videos. The potential acquisition of Twitch would increase YouTube’s reach even further in the online video marketplace.
Twitch originally launched in June 2011 as Justin.tv, according to the company.
YouTube often makes changes and additions for its online video fans.
In January 2014, YouTube launched a first-time-ever online gallery where viewers could begin to see previews of the ads that would later run on television during the Super Bowl XLVIII broadcast Feb. 2. The gallery provided viewers with sneak peeks of some of the ads that were shown during the broadcast through a YouTube Ad Blitz pregame gallery that was created. In the gallery, users were able to watch and vote for their favorite ads, and then share them with friends through social media networks.
In November 2013, YouTube hosted its first-ever YouTube Music Awards, with fans voting for their favorite performers. The awards presentation, which was streamed live Nov. 3, presented music fans with a wide assortment of live performances from some of the biggest music stars who became global hits on YouTube in 2013, including Arcade Fire, Avicii, CDZA, Earl Sweatshirt, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Lindsey Stirling, M.I.A., Tyler, The Creator and Walk off the Earth.
In September 2013, YouTube streamed live online coverage of the 2013 Mercedes Benz Fashion Week events in New York City, bringing the latest fashions and trends to the world. Included in the YouTube coverage were more than 60 live shows from BCBG, Rachel Zoe, Betsey Johnson, Jenny Packham and more on the IMG Fashion YouTube channel, as well as stylish channel live stream shows on getting made up to the hilt with help from fashion and makeup experts such as Louise Goldin and Jeremy Scott.
YouTube launched in May 2005 as a video-sharing Website where people could post their creative works and watch to see if they gained any footholds. YouTube’s popularity has been huge, with the site receiving more than 100 hours of uploaded video from creators each minute. All of that video content is being created by millions of partners and contributors, some of whom have become very popular through the growing site.