Amazon buys video game streaming site Twitch

In something of a surprise move, online retailer and tech giant Amazon has bought game streaming site Twitch for nearly one billion US dollars.

It comes after Twitch was reportedly in talks with Google-owned YouTube about a possible acquisition earlier in the year. But now Amazon has stepped in.

Twitch allows users to broadcast their video games online as they play them, as well as watch others play. A recent experiment saw two college students use motion sensors so that their goldfish could play Pokemon. The feed gained more than one million viewers.