Google Searching for Subscription Revenue with Twitch Acquisition and Google Maps B2B Play

CORRECTION: The story incorrectly reported that Google bought YouTube, when in fact the sale was only rumored at the time. On August 26, we

CORRECTION: The story incorrectly reported that Google bought YouTube, when in fact the sale was only rumored at the time. On August 26, we reported (with confirmation from Amazon) that Amazon has purchased Twitch for $970 million.Google seems to be on a frenzied search for subscription revenues, given their recent acquisitions and launches.First, the search engine giant and parent company of YouTube bought Twitch, a subscription site for live streaming of video game playing, for $1 billion. The sale (which was rumored for months) finally allows YouTube to offer live streaming and create a viable subscription-based business. (Google’s other play at subscription content – it’s music service – took another hit this week when the head of its music division quit.)Twitch has built an audience of 50 million by live streaming video game playing not only through its website, but also via PC, Xbox and PlayStation gamers. The site has 300,000 subscribers paying $8.99/month for access, as well as revenue from advertising and $35 million in venture funding.But Google is also launching its own B2B subscription service through its Google Maps Engine Pro product. For $5/month per user, Google is looking to help companies coordinate its offsite and location-based services, as the video below succinctly explains:The pricing is interesting as Google is clearly looking to build group subscription sales, but by pricing it per user at a low end, Google is able to keep its consumer-friendly branding. But one can imagine how $5/month can escalate into a high-priced subscription for companies with hundreds of staff out in the field. And, of course, Google Maps and Coordinate are far more valuable at the enterprise/B2B level than at the consumer level.Which one of Google’s new subscription products do you think has the best chance of profitability?

Up Next

Register Now For Email Subscription News Updates!

Search this site

You May Be Interested in: