Mark Zuckerberg (image via Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Facebook has just announced a plot to murder Twitch in cold blood with their new exclusive streaming deal with ESL, the world’s biggest esports event company. But will that really be enough to strangle Twitch, the video game streaming service now owned by omnipotent internet god, Amazon? Here come the bloodthirsty headlines:
But wait! This feels … familiar. Facebook’s slow-motion premeditated murder of Twitch has actually been in progress since at least last May, when esports sections at media outlets made the same breathless promises of corporate bloodbath.
Yet Twitch remains not-dead. Seems pretty fucked up, given that we were promised a fight, no?
After the hype for a “two corporations enter, one leaves” bloodbath last year, Facebook will have to step it up if they want to take on Twitch. And if one of these two towering brands doesn’t take over esports this time around, I am decreeing it: Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos must kiss. Please keep your monopolistic power struggles to yourselves.
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17 responses to “Have You Heard The Good News About Facebook”
They can try. but twitch is already established.
Facebook is the last platform that I’d want to use for viewing esports, so I hope this blows up in their face.
There’s something terribly insidious about an inferior product (for this particular use case) trying to grab market share by buying out exclusivity.
Football is on the internet, cable and free to air. Multiple avenues to watch things don’t obliterate the other and if they do, you have a serious problem.
Try telling that to Foxtel
I wish Foxtel would hurry up and die so that something superior could take its place.
Yeah they’ll try to hog it, but there’s nothing stopping another avenue buying the rights when their time is up. They’re positioned well to get moneyed boomers on board, but that will end over time and we will end up with streaming footy and other sports as well as free games. You even end up with games on multiple free to air channels. Can’t see any different between Twitch having League and someone else having something else. Esports isn’t a huge amorphous thing. Plenty of different games to go to different services.
Well Twitch is were the gamers and the gane watchers with money are… and no matter what exclusives they have at theend of the day the Star Players will go home start their twitch streams and beg for Bits and give Shout Outs.
The only gamers playing on Facebook that have moneyare playing Candy Crush.
Twitch does what it does well and is firmly entrenched so I highly doubt Facebook poses any threat, unless Facebook undergoes significant changes.
Is this the first report Kotaku has done on this news story?
I thought perhaps they would write an actual article detailing the deal between the two organisations, rather than linking headlines from other news sites and mocking the merit of the deal.
I sense a pattern from both of you….
Just kiss already, I will watch quietly from the corner.
Pants on or off, dealers choice.
How could I say no to such an offer…
Definitely pants off.
Facebook could be dead overnight if only people would wake from their slumber. We need Gandalf.
I deactivated my account last May. One of the best things I have ever done.
It’s such a poisonous waste of time.
what’s your opinion on twitter?
I like twitter. From my experience, far less suggested content so it’s easier to tailor to your own tastes. I was sick of all the trash news and memes that used to fill my news feed. I also like the closer intereaction with the people you follow, rather than the organisations they represent (individual journalists vs. media outlet).
I use twitter quite regularly in fact.
Good job! Unfortunately my wife is the opposite. Resisted for years and then signed up last year. She certainly spends a lot more time checking her phone for inane useless updates and info. Zuckerberg looks so very punchable.
idk facebook is pretty trash
I have heard of facebook, but I am not 100% sure what it even is outside of something for old people. Oh, and a file on my PC has this in it.
Only way you’d catch me watching stuff on Facebook is if i didn’t have to sign in or even have an account.
Tried watching the DOTA 2 ESL One Genting Tournament the last couple of days and the official streams exclusively on Facebook were terrible. Most people ending watching streamers on Twitch. Doesn’t seem to working out so far.