According to a report by GamesBeat, citing “sources familiar with the matter,” Google will purchase streaming video network Twitch for $1 billion.
This report echoes a Variety report back in May, which alleged that YouTube reached a deal with Twitch for the same amount of money. However, a report by The Wall Street Journal allegedly confirms that, while there were discussions of a deal between the two entities, talks are still in early stages.
According to GamesBeat, investors who participated in past rounds will get “significant returns that are multiple times the amount they originally invested.” Information about when the deal will go public and for exactly how much Google is shelling out has yet to be revealed.
Also unknown is whether Twitch will be folded into YouTube or whether it will retain a somewhat-independent presence. YouTube is home to one billion users worldwide, with the platform serving more than six billion hours of video per month. Twitch, meanwhile, has more than 50 million active users, with more than 1.1 million users broadcasting videos each month. This is compared to just 3.2 million active users back in June 2011.
Both Google and Twitch have yet to comment on the potential deal, though we will update this article when we receive more information.
