Report: Google Set to Pay $1 Billion for Twitch

Google seems to be on the verge of paying $1 billion for Twitch, which allows users to broadcast their gameplay on PCs and consoles to viewers, according to VentureBeat.

Variety and The Verge had reported in May that Google was in talks to acquire Twitch.

The deal illustrates the growing importance of online video and could strengthen YouTube’s business by adding more live streaming to its offerings.

VentureBeat reports that Twitch has more than 50 million monthly active users, up from 3.2 million in June of 2011. Currently 13 billion plus minutes of video are viewed on the platform.