Twitter and Comcast have signed a partnership that will let viewers access TV shows and buy movie tickets directly from a tweet, deepening the short messaging service’s ties to television programming.
Twitter Inc. and Comcast Corp. said Wednesday that a new feature that’s part of the deal will let customers of Comcast’s Xfinify TV service tune in to programs by clicking a “see it” button in a tweet. In a statement, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts called it “an instant online remote control.”
The button will allow Twitter users who are also Comcast customers to set DVRs, tune in to shows online, on TV or on mobile devices. They can also buy movie tickets through Fandango. In the current TV season, shows on NBC, USA, Bravo, MSNBC and other networks will be accessible through the “see it” button. Comcast and Twitter said they are in talks with other TV networks and companies that will use the feature in the “coming months.”
Twitter’s deal with the nation’s largest cable company comes as the company prepares for an initial public offering of stock, which could occur as soon as next month. The agreement is more expansive than the advertising partnerships Twitter has signed recently with TV content providers such as CBS and the NFL. But it does have an advertising component, which adds NBCUniversal’s properties to Twitter’s Amplify program.
Amplify lets TV content owners beam real-time video clips to Twitter users who may have seen —or could be interested in — their programming. It also allows marketers to communicate with viewers who saw their TV ads, extending commercial pitches to consumers’ smartphones and tablets.
“Twitter is where television viewers come to talk about what they’re watching on TV when they’re watching it. Millions of users are exposed to the live conversation that unfolds on Twitter while a show is on the air and now, with See It, they’ll be able to tune in directly from a Tweet,” said Dick Costolo, Twitter’s CEO, in a statement.
Oscar Nominees Gather For Cocktails, Dinner and The Annual Class Picture
Five days before the Academy Awards, nearly every nominee gathered for a cocktail reception, dinner and class picture shoot that served as an Oscars orientation.
The event Tuesday night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was a stand-in for the annual Oscars luncheon usually held about a month earlier but scrubbed because of the Southern California wildfires.
With the voting over and winners determined, contenders got chummy and the mood was cheerful. Best actress favorites Mikey Madison and Demi Moore hugged and chatted. So did best actor front-runners Timothรฉe Chalamet and Adrien Brody.
"Everyone say Oscar nominee!" best actress nominee Cynthia Erivo shouted gleefully from the front row of the museum's David Geffen Theater, where the dozens of nominees sat for their group picture.
Clustered in front with Erivo were three best supporting actress nominees: her "Wicked" castmate Ariana Grande, Monica Barbaro of "A Complete Unknown" and Zoe Saldaรฑa of "Emilia Perez" along with Madison, nominated for "Anora." The five women stood in a circle and talked happily together after the photo, and kept the conversation going as they descended the stairs together to dinner.
In the back of the theater, a trio of best actor nominees sat together: Sebastian Stan of "The Apprentice," Colman Domingo of "Sing Sing" and Brody, of "The Brutalist."
After the photo was taken, Academy President Janet Yang gave the orientation presentation, reminding everyone that the 97th Academy Awards will be held Sunday.
She greeted first-time nominees and acknowledged there were also some with more than one.
Denis Villeneuve, director of "Dune: Part 2" and a four-time nominee, raised his hand. Sixteen-time best original song nominee... Read More