The struggling social network known as Twitter who adopted the ever so famous #hashtags and made its mark in 2006 is looking to bow out in hopes to find a company interested in taking over. Rumored companies included Google, Disney, Salesforce, Microsoft and even Apple were named one of the few. With new reports developing daily, at this point it's not quite clear where Twitter is headed. After this news, I became extremely curious about what this could possibly mean for the social media platform if a buyer came forward. Could Twitter have the potential to bounce back and change social media once more? And what could this mean for businesses and regular users?
Twitter has taken the path towards live streaming signing a $10 million deal with the NFL allowing users to watch Thursday night games. Back in July, they also struck a deal with the NBA with plans to broadcast two live shows for the upcoming professional basketball season. I'm not quite sure about you, but I'm getting the impression that Twitter intends to expand on this idea if successful. At the moment, one can only wonder what if? Here are 4 future predictions where Twitter could end up.
The question lies within the NBA and NFL deal who else will they acquire to join? The NFL reported it's first live streaming game on Twitter resulted in 2.3 million viewers. Some might find this underwhelming or unimpressive, but I do believe there's a possibility if executed correctly channels will turn to them with exclusive contracts. Many of us are all too familar with other streaming channels such as Hulu and Netflix. What separates Twitter from Hulu and Netflix is the fact they offer live streaming FREE of charge. Yes, you heard it correctly, FREE. For how long? Only time will tell of its success.
Famous artists such as Kanye West and Beyoncé have taken their music exclusively to digital music services such as Spotify, iTunes and Tidal where only members are allowed to stream new albums. Offering exclusivity has become popular among giant brands such as Apple being a prime example. How can anyone forget the good ol' days when owning an iPhone meant you had to be an AT&T customer? Another example, this year Tidal found themselves in a rut until Beyoncé agreed to release her most recent album only with the digital music service. Will Twitter incorporate music with their latest features?
Promoted tweets are often seen on your feed, your profile and even scrolling through hashtag links. If Twitter expands on streaming, get ready for commercials in between your video's, which other platforms such as YouTube and SnapChat have also adapted. This feature will allow businesses to have an opportunity to use yet another avenue to get their name out there. With many abandoned Twitter business profiles, could this be enough to convince users to log back in?
Lastly, take a look at Periscope. Now, envision this concept on national television. Users will be able to tweet their thoughts with other viewers while watching their favorite sports team or tv show changing broadcasting forever. Not everyone will be fond of this idea, however, if they create a setting where users can choose whether they'd like to see tweets appear during programming then it shouldn't be a complete annoyance for those who would rather leave it out.
In conclusion, Twitter is seeking to reinvigorate what's left of them. Streaming has become the latest focus in hopes of profiting off advertising by first testing it's sports channel deals. Today, television is being produced and consumed differently. The growing popularity revolving online streaming has become a culture of its own, which is completely under stable as to why Twitter would take this route. Although, many reports suggest Twitter is dying a slow death, I truly believe there is potential to reinvent the social media platform and strategically plan for Twitter's future.
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