Several sources today are reporting that Twitch, the popular live-streaming platform for video games, will be purchased by Google for $1 billion USD. While the Wall Street Journal is downplaying the situation, other news outlets like USA Today are describing the all-cash offer as “imminent.” If true, a YouTube-Twitch merger would help Google dominate the live-streaming industry.
Twitch, which claims to have 45 million viewers every month, has yet to comment on the situation. The company has seen a steady increase in popularity since its launch in 2011 and you’d be hard-pressed to find a gamer who didn’t broadcast on his own Twitch channel or watched others play online. According to Twitch, about a million of its users are broadcasters — largely due to Twitch tools being embedded into both the Xbox One and Playstation 4.
While YouTube has its own live-streaming services that include games, music, sports, and news; it pales in comparison to Twitch’s live-streaming traffic. According to video analytics firm Qwilt, Twitch accounts for nearly 44% of all live online video traffic — and that number is growing. Qwilt credits this success not only to foundational ingredients like broadband access and outstanding game titles, but to a worldwide movement of insanely passionate gamers who want to share their experience.
Twitch by the Numbers*
- 58% of Twitch viewers spend more than 20 hours per week on the site
- 12 billion minutes of gaming watched on average each month
- 45 million unique viewers per month
- 106 minutes a day watched on average
- 99% of visitors use the site to watch live gaming
*Statistics are from 2013 and reported by Qwilt
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