Google eyes Chinese e-sports market with investment in Chushou

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Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google joined as a new investor of the Chinese live-stream mobile game platform Chushou and brings the startup’s total funding to 120 million US dollars.

Founded in 2015, Chushou is an online e-sports platform where users can live stream their mobile phone games. The service has roughly 8 million streamers and 250,000 live streams a day, said the companies in a statement on Friday. Google will help the Chinese firm expand its services to target more overseas viewers, it said.

Live stream gaming platforms are a popular form of e-sports in China, part of a growing industry that involves competitive game play viewed by spectators. Google’s YouTube launched a specialized service for live stream gamers in 2015, capturing a large chunk of the global market.

The companies did not reveal the size of Google’s stake or the valuation of Chushou after the round.

Last month, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai also spoke at a high-profile event in China organized by the Cyberspace Administration of China, which oversees Internet censorship in the country.

“Chushou has built an impressive platform, with a dedicated and quickly growing base of content creators and consumers, and smart expansion plans,” said Frank Lin, who oversees corporate development for Google in North Asia, in the statement.

Source(s): Reuters