According to sources inside the walls of social’s media’s hottest microblogging platform, Twitter is rumored to be considering an acquisition of TweetDeck, the popular desktop and mobile app used by millions of “tweeps” daily.
The estimated value of the acquisition is in the range of $50 million.
For months rumors have swirled about the anticipated looming acquisition of TweetDeck, although this week marks the first serious talk of Twitter being the buyer. Three months ago, rumblings surfaced about the prospect of UberMedia allegedly offering $30 million for TweetDeck.
People “familiar with the matter” tell the Wall Street Journal that Twitter’s aim to acquire TweetDeck is now in advanced talks. If the buyout transpires, it will effectively serve as Twitter gobbling up a major competitor, as TweetDeck essentially rivals Twitter’s official web and mobile clients.
The company has been slower to build a business around its popularity than some other Web players, such as Facebook. The research firm eMarketer puts Twitter 2010 ad revenue at $45 million and expects ad revenue to reach $150 million this year.
Twitter, which has only made a few small acquisitions to date, is believed to be entering “rapid expansion” mode, a reality fueled by the return of Jack Dorsey, the founding chief executive of Twitter, who resumed his role as product chief just three weeks ago.
