Twitter TV is targeting sports fans
U.S. – With the NFL season around the corner, Twitter Inc. (NASDAQ: TWTR) is transforming into a live streaming network for the football nights. The move will boost the company’s video platform.
Twitter announced free apps available for Apple TV, Amazon Fire television and Microsoft’s Xbox One to watch the NFL matches. The streaming sessions will host videos, Tweets, Vines and Periscopes.
What’s more, users will not need a Twitter account to watch the games. Accordingly, the free apps do not require a cable or satellite subscription either. Users only need to download the app and enjoy the games.
The app will launch globally for Apple TV. In The US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico for the Xbox One; and in The US and The UK for Amazon Fire TV.
The news came just a day before Twitter’s first stream out of 10 NFL Thursday Night Football games. The New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills game will stream on NFL, CBS, and Twitter.
Twitter spent $10 million to secure the NFL deal
The company won the rights over Verizon and Amazon. The deal is probably Twitter’s single best chance to prove it has a value in the future, at a time where the network has seen its stock going down amid constant rumors of a takeover.
The app seems like going full TV mode. It includes 10 of National Football League Thursday night games, live videos from MLB Advanced Media, the games from the NBA, Pac-12 Networks, Campus Insiders, Bloomberg News and the business news start-up Cheddar.
“These devices will bring Twitter’s live streaming. Twitter has always been a great complement to TV, and now fans can enjoy even more premium video with lie Tweets – and the best content on Twitter – right on their TVs,” said Anthony Noto, Twitter’s chief financial officer, in a statement .
The live videos will also be available on twitter.com, but Twitter intends people to get the app and watch the games on their TVs.
What does Twitter TV offer?
The mobile app will feature the live-video on the left side on the screen, while the live feed scrolls down on the right side. A single newsfeed is going to show all the twits, and the app will sort them based on the relevance of their content.
Apple TV will have an exclusive add-on that will let users place a complimentary video on the right side while the main content streams. While watching live contents, customers can select a video that appears on the Tweets and play without interrupting the NFL match. The videos can come from Twitter, Periscope or Vine.
The desktop version is available on Twitter’s web page, and it will also feature the feeds and the video sharing the screen.
Source: New York Times
