Twitter Unveils Bevy Of Branded Content Deals With Billboard, Genius, Refinery29, Tastemade

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Even as Twitter challenges the likes of Clubhouse and Facebook with tools for user-generated audio, it’s expanding its slate of homegrown audio and video content with a lineup of new (and renewed) partnerships.

At its 2021 NewFronts presentation, the platform announced new deals with music industry charter Billboard, lyrics library Genius, foodie outlet Tastemade, lifestyle publisher Refinery29, and more on a variety of new shows and initiatives.

With Billboard, Twitter is rolling out The Billboard Hot Trending powered by Twitter, a daily-refreshing chart the platform says “will showcase the songs being talked about most on Twitter, tracking music-related trends each day across the platform, and also measuring the conversations dominating Twitter at any given time.”

The duo will also drop associated video content and editorial material “with support from some of music’s biggest stars,” per Twitter.

With Genius, Twitter will be the new home of Verified, a series that asks music artists to break down the meanings behind their top hits line by line. Twitter plans to augment the seris with exclusive content like polls and Q&As, it said.

Tastemade–which already has a broad presence on Twitter, with its core account (326K followers) plus numerous regional accounts–plans to launch two new food-related franchises on the platform.

First is Tastemade Holiday Hotline, which “puts culinary pros ‘on-call’ on Twitter, ready to help tackle any and all kitchen questions and issues in real time,” and then there’s Food for Thought, where diverse culinarians will take over the Tastemade Twitter account for one day and discuss their backgrounds and careers, and spotlight fellow professionals.

Twitter has also sealed a deal with NBC Olympics for coverage of the Tokyo Olympics, kicking off in July. Content will span a daily live show with hosts like Olympian figure skater Adam Rippon, real-time video highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, and polls related to NBC Olympics’ linear Primetime broadcasts.

And finally, Refinery29’s deal will bring content from Unbothered and Somos, the site’s editorial hubs for Black and Latinx women.

Along with these new deals, Twitter has reupped several partnerships, including a two-year extension of its live video relationship with the MLB, a return of the NHL’s live Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage (with a new live pregame show, in-game highlights, and co-branded content), and a continued collaboration with the WNBA that will see Twitter host a slate of 12 full live games from the league’s 25th season. Twitter and the WNBA have now been partners for five years.

“With even more video content coming to the Twitter timeline from world-class content publishers, we’re excited to continue helping brands connect to what’s happening and what people are watching,” JP Maheu, Twitter’s VP of U.S. client services, said in a statement. “The video content from these partners will bolster our library of brand safe content that gives advertisers the reach they’re looking for.”

Twitter additionally used its presentation to spotlight a new preroll ad offering: Curated Categories. These are themed groups of publishers bundled together by Twitter so marketers can place ads on a range of content about a specific niche.

Launch categories include Esports Teams, Gaming Personalities, Health & Wellness, and Women in Sports & Gaming.

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