Twitter Announces Landmark Television Deal With Comcast

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Twitter has long believed that much of its success is tied to television. When the company filed its IPO prospectus, it included the word “television” on 42 separate occasions. As further proof, Nielsen announced that it was rolling out Twitter TV ratings, as I wrote earlier this week. Today, Twitter announced that it had reached an agreement with Comcast that would allow users to watch television from an embedded tweet. The deal was signed between itself, NBC Universal, and the nation’s largest cable provider Comcast.

Twitter Announces Landmark Television Deal With Comcast

Twitter service available to Xfinity TV customers

To start, the service will only be made available to Xfinity TV customers.

Xfinity TV customers who discover new shows and movies in their Twitter feeds will be able to tune-in to those programs with the click of a button. The See It button will enable a menu of consumption options, including being able to:

  • Tune in to live TV or start a show On Demand on their set-top box
  • Tune in to a show online or on their mobile device
  • Set DVRs
  • Set a reminder
  • Buy theater tickets through Fandango

Following the announcement the CEOs of both Twitter and Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) were licking each others’ boots in praise of the deal.

Brian Roberts on Twitter-Comcast partnership

See It is a simple yet powerful feature that creates an instant online remote control,” said Brian Roberts, Chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA). “Comcast is taking a leap forward in social TV by enabling Twitter users to more easily find and view the shows they want to watch and discover new shows.  Twitter complements the live viewing experience and is an ideal partner for Comcast and NBC Universal.”

“Twitter is where television viewers come to talk about what they’re watching on TV when they’re watching it.  Millions of users are exposed to the live conversation that unfolds on Twitter while a show is on the air and now, with See It, they’ll be able to tune in directly from a Tweet,” said Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter.  “It’s a great example of Comcast’s leadership in bringing TV to new platforms.”

The roll-out is limited to a couple of handfuls of programming but has the ability to grow and make a big splash. The programming offered ranges from the talk show, to the primetime drama and also offers quite a bit to the sports fan.

The following shows will be supported with the ‘See It’ button, the technology for which was developed by Comcast in-house, from November:

  • The Voice (NBC)
  • The Blacklist (NBC)
  • Chicago Fire (NBC)
  • The Michael J. Fox Show (NBC)
  • Sunday Night Football (NBC)
  • Access Hollywood
  • NHL
  • Premier League Soccer
  • Sochi Olympics (NBC and NBCSN)
  • Today Show (NBC)
  • Psych (USA)
  • Suits (USA)

It’s another huge play for Twitter as an advertising platform, and will undoubtedly drive people to these shows while growing the amount of Xfinity TV sign-ups.

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