Last year Google attempted to purchase Twitch, the most popular live streaming video platform for gamers. They were denied because of antitrust laws. Amazon would go on to acquire the less than 5 year old company a few months later, leaving Google without a platform to harness the massive growth of eSports.
But Google took a step back and recognized they already have something for eSports, the largest video platform in the world.
Youtube has more than a billion users with over 300 minutes of video being uploaded every minute. They started livestreaming major events and television broadcasts in 2010, but have since scaled back.
Now Google is readying Youtube to go head to head with Twitch.
And the prospect of owning the biggest eSports live streaming platform has never been more intriguing.
Last year, 27 million people viewed The Riot World Championships, a League of Legends tournament, where Twitch recorded its highest ever concurrent viewership at 4.5 million viewers.
But it won’t be easy for Google to bring Youtube to that status.
Twitch is an established platform that was built for the gamer. And gamers are passionate about being in an exclusive gaming environment for the gamer, run by other gamers.
On the other hand, Google is already familiar with live streaming eSports, having streamed the League of Legends Champions Series in 2003.
They will likely use its nearly unlimited resources to partner with famous gamers, sponsors and tournaments. And we might just see Amazon and Google go head to head if they are able to make a dent in Twitch’s viewer base.
Don’t be surprised to see Google announce their intentions at this year’s E3 gaming conference which runs from June 16 to 18. Until then, Google’s live streaming service will be host to small sporting events and foreign language news, while Twitch continues to control eSports streaming.