Google is gearing up to give the folks at Twitch a run for their money. According to an industry insider, plans to relaunch YouTube's livestreaming service have already been set in motion.
The Daily Dot is reporting that YouTube Live, a service that was practically discarded last year, will be dusted off and given a fresh focus: video games. In an interview with The Daily Dot, an unnamed source indicated that Google wants a piece of the eSports pie.
Here's what the insider revealed:
Gaming and eSports in particular are going to be a big driving force for the new-look YouTube Live. There’ll be huge opportunities for established streamers and organizations soon and I would say that the record numbers of eSports viewers are only going to grow when Google starts promoting and partnering with these events.
YouTube's live streaming aspirations aren't a secret. The company has been trying to elbow its way into the market since 2010 but never found a widespread audience. Currently, most of the livestreamed events are aimed at niche markets like Indian Premier League Cricket and foreign language newscasts.
Last August, Google and Amazon were reportedly in a bidding war over Twitch, but Google didn't emerge victorious. Amazon's $970 million cash offer was too good to pass up, which meant that Google was forced to shelve its livestreaming plans.
Also, did you catch that? Amazon paid in cash.
According to another Daily Dot source, YouTube believes that now is the perfect time to bring livestreaming back into the forefront:
The time is right as well, with Twitch moving into other areas such as music and so on. Google doesn't want to be too far behind in the arms race.
There aren't many companies that could step up to the plate and actually compete with Twitch, but Google is definitely one of them. Realistically speaking, YouTube is the only name in video sharing, so a livestreaming component would partner quite well. But it's not going to be easy.
Google will need to find a reason to convince gamers to make YouTube their go-to livestreaming service, and established streamers probably aren't going to be interested--unless Google has some wicked tricks up its sleeve.
Plus, Google hasn't been making a lot of friends in the gaming community. For the last couple of years, the company has been cracking down on copyright claims, which is strangling content creators. It wouldn't be a problem if these claims were entirely legitimate. But filing a complaint is ridiculously easy, and many videos are taken down immediately. Channel owners can appeal the takedown, but it's a lengthy process, and the law isn't entirely clear about what should be legal.
So, Google might have some fence mending to do before gamers make the switch. But stranger things have happened.
However, nothing is set in stone right now. Google will reportedly make an official announcement during E3 this summer. So, for the foreseeable future, Twitch will remain king of the hill.
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