With the social world watching with eager eyes, what does the future hold for Twitter amidst all the acquisition talk? I would argue it is what the different buyers could offer to the development and growth of the social platform that is potentially more exciting.
Some of the bigger and more interesting names in the ring are Disney and Google. Of course there are other brands vying to acquire the social giants but it is these two that can potentially take the platform to a whole new level.
So what would Disney or Google respectively offer?
Disney
The all-encompassing entertainment juggernaut that is Disney could potentially offer something completely unique to Twitter. Live streaming of events and shows immediately comes to mind, but it could be Video on Demand that could become a huge part of their Twitter offering.
Twitter already have a unique partnership with the NFL to live stream games in the 2016/17 season, and it would be surprising if Disney did not try and factor in some sort of Disney specific streaming service into Twitter.
This could potentially keep users on the platform for larger amounts of time and give them a reason to visit the platform, other to consume news, which is something that has become the norm on Twitter of late. It would be the draw of seeing exclusive content that could sway the masses, especially as Disney now owns Lucas Arts (Star Wars) and Marvel.
Brands on Twitter may find the hold of Disney too much to handle, especially other entertainment brands. Would Warner Bros and the like be happy to fund a rival entertainment brand? It would be interesting to see what, if any this would have on both their paid and content strategies for this channel.
If this acquisition does happen, it will be very interesting to watch what Google does next. It seems likely that the tech giant would use Twitter as a way to leverage it’s other business acquisitions and products, such as Google+ and YouTube.
Google+ has become somewhat of an afterthought for most social users and brands alike, so this acquisition could get Google back onto the social map in a big way.
The integration of the wider Google services and brands could evolve Twitter entirely, and perhaps eventually place Twitter back in lead as the most efficiently integrated social platform, making it potentially a very exciting time to be on Twitter.
It’s possible that Google may even tie in the search feature into Twitter, making for an improved, but what will likely be an altogether different experience for the user.
The thought of linking comments on other Google owned platforms like YouTube, directly to your Twitter account surely is one of the many possibilities that a Google buy out would offer, and is a great example of how the Google owned platforms would be able to can work together to create a more encompassing user experience.
On the other hand, Google could have an entirely different plan, including expanding Twitter into a more sophisticated news service.