Twitter announced late Tuesday that it had acquired Bluefin
Labs, a startup that analyzes social media activity related to TV and sells
that data to advertisers, agencies and TV networks including CBS, Turner
Broadcasting System, Fox and Discovery Communications.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Privately held Twitter
is paying between $90 million and $100 million for Bluefin, according to
multiple reports.
"We believe that Bluefin's data science capabilities and
social TV expertise will help us create innovative new ad products and consumer
experiences in the exciting intersection of Twitter and TV," Twitter chief
operating officer Ali Rowghani wrote in a blog post.
According to Twitter, the Bluefin acquisition will build on
its exclusive
partnership with Nielsen, announced in December. Under that deal, the
companies plan to develop the Nielsen Twitter TV Rating, based on the platform
developed by SocialGuide, which Nielsen
acquired last fall.
