Twitter, Bloomberg team up for ‘channel’

WASHINGTON: Twitter is launching a 24-hour streaming news channel in partnership with the Bloomberg news agency, in a major expansion of its video operations.

Bloomberg chief executive Justin Smith confirmed the partnership late on Sunday, retweeting a Wall Street Journal article referring to the tie-up.

"We’ll have a lot more to say about this exciting new partnership at Bloomberg Media’s NewFronts on Monday," Smith tweeted, referring to a conference being held this week.

The Journal, which first reported the partnership, said Bloomberg will produce news exclusively for the online channel, separate from content produced for Bloomberg’s own television channel.

The service, set to launch later this year, could help Twitter expand its user base, which has been growing at a slower pace than its social media rivals.

Twitter has been seeking to broaden its appeal beyond its core user base of celebrities, politicians and journalists, ramping up efforts in video and live sports, notably.