If you have an Amazon FireTV and been noticing all the game updates on it lately it seems they're pretty serious about being a cheap console for the living room.
Good point. From a niche advertiser's point of view, this is better than regular TV. TV shows have product placement, but rarely revolve entirely around a product. But every "Let's Play" on Twitch is, on one level, an extended, entertaining commercial e.g. an infomercial. Which would make Twitch a massively interactive 24/7 infomercial, like QVC for gamers. To the eyes of Amazon, the internet's store for everything, that must be very attractive. It also raises the question of whether you could have a Twitch for other categories i.e. a 24/7 niche infomercial network that people actually want to watch.
If you have an Amazon FireTV and been noticing all the game updates on it lately it seems they're pretty serious about being a cheap console for the living room.