Amazon acquires video game streaming site Twitch for $970 million

New York -- Amazon.com announced Monday that it had agreed to acquire video game streaming site Twitch for $970 million in cash.



The deal comes after reports that Google was set to acquire the streaming site.



Twitch is a video platform that streams content geared toward gamers, including live gaming footage, commentary, and online shows. The company said Monday it counts more than 1.1 million unique broadcasters per month, up from 600,000 in November last year. Their videos are reaching more than 55 million gamers, up from 45 million before. On average, Twitch said, users watch 106 minutes per day.



“Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month— -- from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3," Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said in a press release.



Twitch was launched in June 2011 by Justin.tv co-founders Justin Kan and Emmett Shear. In addition to its live streaming, videos on the site can also be streamed on Microsoft Xbox and PlayStation 4 consoles.



"Amazon and Twitch optimize for our customers first and are both believers in the future of gaming," Shear said in a statement. "Being part of Amazon will let us do even more for our community. We will be able to create tools and services faster than we could have independently. This change will mean great things for our community, and will let us bring Twitch to even more people around the world."