E-commerce Giant Enters Gaming: Amazon Acquires Twitch for $970 Million

In August 2014, e-commerce giant Amazon announced the acquisition of leading video game live-streaming platform Twitch for $970 million in cash. The Twitch platform, based in San Francisco, USA, had become the core destination for millions of gamers globally to watch and stream esports and gaming content.

Amazon aimed to quickly establish a strong foothold in the gaming, media, and user-generated content sectors through this purchase. The deal demonstrated the immense commercial value of live-streaming and gaming content, helping Amazon enter the high-growth digital entertainment market outside its core retail business and further diversifying its portfolio.