Twitter gets cozy with Bloomberg in streaming-video deal

Twitter and Bloomberg Media are partnering on a 24/7 breaking news network that will be global, live, social and streaming, combining global editorial and news gathering capabilities of Bloomberg with the digital power of Twitter.

Twitter’s latest partnership with Bloomberg follows on the heels of an earlier deal to broadcast live coverage of the US presidential debates in September 2016, which followed an earlier deal to stream some of Bloomberg’s shows.

But the latest deal reportedly goes much deeper, enabling Bloomberg to provide 24/7 free streaming-video content via Twitter to its more than 328 million monthly users.

“Today’s global news consumer wants and needs more than what's currently available. In an era when most viewers are choosing immediacy over quality in breaking news, traditional media hasn’t kept up,” Bloomberg Media CEO, Justin Smith, said in a statement.

“With this new network, we are setting out to reinvent the digital breaking news experience. The powerful combination of Bloomberg’s high-quality journalism and data-backed objectivity with Twitter’s global immediacy, interactivity and reach will create the world's fastest and most credible modern news source.”

Launching later in 2017, the new network will feature a mix of user-generated breaking news video from citizens, curated and verified by Bloomberg editors, along with live video and reporting from Bloomberg journalists around the world. The network will be interactive, rich with social content and consumable on any device.

Twitter COO, Anthony Noto, said the partnership will bring “innovation in news” to the market.

“Twitter’s speed and vast global network of content and commentary combined with the high quality, editorial rigor of Bloomberg is a unique and powerful combination. Our collaboration will bring these forces together through live video and the related conversation,” Noto said.