Future of TV Media Twitter

Twitter reportedly in talks to open up its NFL, MLB and NHL live streaming rights through an app on Apple TV

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

August 15, 2016 | 2 min read

With Twitter expanding its live streaming TV rights seemingly on a daily basis, the company is reportedly in talks with Apple to have its app feature on Apple TV.

nfl

nfl

This proposed deal, speculated by the New York Times, is not confirmed by either company but would open up a whole new audience of potential Twitter users, those using the Californian company’s set-top box.

Twitter has acquired the streaming rights of NFL Thursday nights, Major League Baseball (MLB) and National League Hockey (NHL) and more, but is limited by stagnant user growth, capable of only reaching its 313 million monthly active users through the app.

A partnership with Apple TV could open up Twitter on TVs shifting it from a second-screen TV companion to the primary screen – if it’s efforts are not scuppered by similar incursions into sports broadcasting from Facebook and Snapchat.

The company is intent on enhancing the real-time nature of its service with the roll-out of live video, whether its user generated through Periscope, or broadcast by sports associations to fans at their convenience.

Whether the company benefits from merging the broadcast platform with Twitter, an eco-system of sports commentary and fan discourse remains to be seen.

Future of TV Media Twitter

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