To help the microblogging giant monetize second-screen experiences, Twitter confirms that it has acquired Bluefin Labs, a leading social TV analytics company that provides data products to brand advertisers, agencies, and TV networks.
Financial terms were not publicly released but speculation from sources close to the deal say it may be Twitter’s biggest buy in company history. If true, we can determine that the acquisition exceeded the $40 million spent by Twitter to gobble up TweetDeck in 2011.
“Today we’re happy to announce that we have acquired Bluefin Labs,” says Ali Rowghani, Twitter’s Chief Operating Officer. “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.”
This acquisition reflects our commitment to the social TV market, and builds on our exclusive partnership with Nielsen announced in December to develop the Nielsen Twitter TV Rating, the centerpiece of social TV measurement based on Nielsen’s SocialGuide platform.
Twitter plans to honor existing Bluefin customer contracts, but it will not continue to sell Bluefin’s product suite beyond the existing contracts.
“We plan to collaborate closely with Nielsen and SocialGuide on product development and research to help brands, agencies, and networks fully understand the combined value of Twitter and TV,” Rowghani says.
To read the full announcement from Twitter, click here.