Twitter, Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSK)(CMCSA 1.34%), and NBCUniversal announced today a partnership that will allow Comcast Xfinity TV users to access TV shows, movies, and sports through tweets using a feature called "See It." The companies also disclosed an advertising partnership between NBCUniveral and Twitter through its Amplify program that will embed sponsored videos in tweets.
See It
In a blog post, Sam Schwartz, chief business development officer of Comcast Cable, described See It as "a simple but exciting tool that helps people more easily watch the shows they read about or discover online." It "lets people tune in or record their favorite shows -- directly from the conversations happening on Twitter."
When users click the "See It" button for particular tweets, they can watch a program after logging in.
Source: Comcast.
Users can also control their televisions and perform other functions through the tweets. See It users will be able not only to watch live TV or start on-demand programing through their televisions, but also to watch on their phones, set DVRs, remind themselves to watch something later, or even buy movie tickets through Fandango (which is also part of the Comcast family).
Twitter noted on its blog that "by partnering with Comcast, we'll be able to make it easier than ever to turn on the show everyone is talking about and jump into the conversation."
"[G]iven that Twitter is the center of millions of real-time conversations about television shows, it is the perfect partner to connect those conversations with live television viewing," states the press release. "See It enables networks to make those connections and help convert the millions of TV-related tweets into actual viewing to help drive ratings and engagement with viewers."
However, the Xfinity platform will only serve as a beta test for See It, as other content providers, video distributors, and websites will also be able to use See It beginning in 2014.
Advertising partnership
The release also included information on a new advertising partnership between NBCUniversal and Twitter that will "enable NBCUniversal's advertising clients to expand their TV and digital sponsorships to Twitter." It will in turn allow NBCUniversal's advertisers the ability to access Twitter's "promoted tweets" platform, providing for a broader reach of advertising campaigns and sponsorships.
The NBC Sports Group was the first to use this advertising partnership, as it gave users the ability to access English Premier League videos sponsored by General Electric through Twitter. However, the new agreement will encompass the entire NBCUniversal portfolio, which includes 17 networks and more than 50 digital properties.
Of the recently announced partnership, Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said: "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 NBCUniversal."
