Twitter chairman and CTO Elon Musk has frequently hinted at ambitions to grow Twitter’s video offering. And this looks to include an expansion into CTV, with Musk tweeting over the weekend that a Twitter video app for smart TVs “is coming”.
Twitter has had mixed success with efforts to grow its video offering in the past. It previously owned short form video app Vine – essentially TikTok before TikTok existed – but couldn’t make the business work financially and shut it down in 2016. It also bought live streaming video platform Periscope in 2015, but this too was eventually shuttered in 2021.
But Musk is keen to have another bite at the apple. The company has already extended the length of videos which users can upload directly on the platform, with Twitter Blue verified users able to upload videos up to two hours long. He’s also tweeted in support of ex-Fox anchor Tucker Carlson’s launch of a Twitter exclusive video series, and encouraged others to do the same. And earlier in the year Musk publicly tested a video live stream feature based on old Periscope code, hinting at plans for a live streaming feature on the platform.
Late last week, an investor presentation from Musk and new CEO Linda Yaccarino seen by Reuters picked out video, alongside ecommerce and creator partnerships, as key growth areas for the company. Vertical video now accounts for more than ten percent of time spent on the platform, according to that presentation.
Not all of this push into video will necessarily be ad monetised. The introduction of Twitter Blue, and new direct subscription features for creators on Twitter, suggests that some video could be funded by subscription payments.
But advertising certainly is a big part of the picture, with Reuters reporting that Twitter is considering selling ad placements next to specific content on Twitter, such as Tucker Carlson’s show.
A tough sell for advertisers?
As video grows on the platform, a move into CTV may be a natural one. YouTube’s venture into CTV has proven very successful, as its CTV app ranks as one of the most viewed in major Western markets. TikTok similarly has started making inroads in CTV.
But Musk’s “free speech absolutist” approach to content moderation may be a sticking point where it comes to ad support. CTV buys, often drawn from TV budgets, are often aimed at very brand safe content – hence why most of YouTube’s CTV inventory is sold through YouTube Select, which has enhanced brand safety and suitability controls. A Twitter CTV app with a light touch on moderation may be a tough sell for a lot of advertisers.
