
The gaming category grew especially fast, and became the most popular content on the site. When was launched in 2007 by Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, the site was divided into several content categories. History Founding and initial growth (2007–2013)

That month, the service was acquired by Amazon for US$970 million, which later led to the introduction of synergies with the company's subscription service Amazon Prime.

At the same time, 's parent company was re-branded as Twitch Interactive to represent the shift in focus – was shut down in August 2014. In October 2013, the website had 45 million unique viewers, and by February 2014, it was considered the fourth-largest source of peak Internet traffic in the United States.

The popularity of Twitch eclipsed that of its general-interest counterpart. Content on the site can be viewed either live or via video on demand. It was introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of the general-interest streaming platform. It is operated by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of, Inc. Twitch is an American video live streaming service that focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to offering music broadcasts, creative content, and " in real life" streams.
