In its latest push towards more video content on its platform, microblogging site Twitter on Wednesday said that it has signed over 35 deals with several enterprises in the Asia Pacific region for premium video content.
The entities that Twitter has joined hands with include International Cricket Council (ICC), Filmfare Awards, NDTV and Network18. The new partnerships are expected to help bring hundreds of hours of exclusive videos, live original programming, live games and events on to the platform, Twitter said in a statement.
"Live is at the core of Twitter. In Q2, we streamed over 1,200 hours of live premium content globally from leading brands across sports, e-sports, news and entertainment," Matthew Derella, Twitter's global vice president of revenue and operations, said, adding that "Asia Pacific is the growth engine of Twitter."
Under the agreement, ARIA awards, Riot Games, KBS Music Bank Weekly Shows and other event will feature live and in-stream video programming on Twitter. Some of the other collaborations from India include Breakfast with Champions, Cricbuzz, Premier Futsal India, Anupama Chopra and Film Companion, Red Chillies Entertainment, Yash Raj Films and Rolling Stone India.
According to Maya Hari, managing director of Asia Pacific at Twitter, digital video consumption is growing rapidly in Asia Pacific and is estimated to surpass the one billion mark over the next three years. As of June 2017, Twitter has about 328 million monthly active users.
"Introducing over 35 live and in-stream video sponsorship deals today to APAC advertisers will strengthen the success of our only-on-Twitter experience in the region," Hari said.
Twitter's in-stream video sponsorship helps publishers monetize their video content while making it easier for advertisers to reach engaged audiences. In April 2016, the company inked a $10 million deal with the National Football League for exclusive rights to stream some of the league's Thursday Night Football games.
Last month, Facebook also rolled out a new platform called "Watch," which will feature about 40 original series that will be produced exclusively for it by partners. Facebook said that the new service will be available on mobile, desktop and its TV apps.
