According to a recent report, around half of all Super Bowl commercials featured Twitter in some form or fashion. Perhaps it was just a hashtag logo at the end, or perhaps it was that iconic bird icon beside the company's Twitter handle. Regardless of the particulars, it's quite clear that Twitter has exploded, and is most certainly not reserved as just a niche, techy-only social network. Moreover, researchers are increasingly turning to Twitter to size up how well television shows are doing, and how the majority are reacting. To no one's surprise, Twitter itself is taking notice.


In a blog post this week, the company announced that it has acquired Bluefin Labs. If you've never heard of that company, you aren't alone. It's described as a "leading social TV analytics company that provides data products to brand advertisers, agencies, and TV networks." You don't have to hear much more than that to understand why Twitter would want this company under its own roof. Twitter states that Bluefin's data science capabilities and social TV expertise will aid it in creating "innovative new ad products and consumer experiences in the exciting intersection of Twitter and TV." In other words, this is yet another option for monetizing Twitter.

Twitter is aiming to honor existing Bluefin customer contracts, but it's not planning on selling Bluefin's products beyond that. It also plans to collaborate closely with Nielsen and SocialGuide on product development and research "to help brands, agencies, and networks fully understand the combined value of Twitter and TV." Looks like the future of TV ratings may be in your Tweet, not necessarily where or how you're watching.