Amazon acquired the gaming livestreaming platform Twitch in 2014 for approximately $970 million in cash.
Twitch began as Justin.tv, a site founded in 2007 that allowed users to broadcast live video. The gaming-focused section became especially popular and was separated as Twitch in 2011. Its audience watched live gameplay, esports, creative broadcasts, and later a wide range of other content.
Amazon’s purchase connected e-commerce, cloud computing, digital media, and gaming. Twitch continued to operate as a distinct service after the acquisition, rather than becoming an Amazon shopping site. Amazon Web Services has also been important to the technology infrastructure used by many online platforms, but AWS is not the name of the acquired streaming service.
A common mix-up is Google: Google reportedly discussed acquiring Twitch, but Amazon completed the transaction. The acquisition was announced in August 2014 and completed later that year.