Google has reached a deal to acquire Twitch for $1 billion, according to a report from VentureBeat. The purchase is expected to be completed through the tech giant’s YouTube division.
Twitch, founded in 2011 out of live-streaming site Justin.tv, allows gamers to live-stream their play to online audiences. It is popular in the growing field of e-sports, with several competition organizers including Riot Games using the platform to stream their events to international audiences. Twitch currently has more than 50 million monthly active users.
The company would be a logical companion to video streaming platform YouTube, which Google acquired in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Over the last two years, Twitch has raised $35 million from investors that include Bessemer Venture Partners, Draper Associates and Take Two Interactive Software.
Twitch and Google declined to comment.
