Twitter is taking charge of the TV remote.
The microblogging service has struck a deal with Comcast and NBCUniversal that will allow cable customers to tune into a TV show directly from a tweet.
Twitter users who are also Comcast Xfinity customers can click the “See It” button to activate a show on their mobile device or change the channel on their TV set. It will also allow users to record a show or remind them to watch it later.
Ahead of its planned $1 billion initial public offering, Twitter has been pitching the TV world on the power of social media, saying it is one of the best ways to connect with viewers.
“Each day, Twitter plays host to the real-time conversation about television and a large portion of that conversation occurs while a program is live on the air,” Jana Messerschmidt, Twitter’s vice president of business development and platform, wrote in a blog posting to announce the Comcast partnership.
“Millions of people are exposed to Tweets about a program, so much so that they’re often motivated by the Twitter buzz to tune in.”
The “See It” feature will kick off in November with a handful of NBCUniversal shows, including “The Voice” and “Sunday Night Football.” Comcast also owns NBCUniversal.
“The Voice” generates 350,000 Twitter impressions, and “See It” is a way to move the consumer to watch the show,” according to NBC.
NBCU’s Syfy cable network was behind the social media sensation “Sharknado,” the campy sci-fi flick that caught the imagination of tweeters in July.
Comcast, the biggest US cable-TV operator with 24 million customers, is hoping to get other distributors and programmers to jump on the “See It” bandwagon.
Right now there limitations to the service. For starters, it will only be available initially to Comcast Xfinity subscribers, who will have to log in with their cable-TV passwords.
Still, the move has already caught the attention of media execs. NBC News chief digital officer Vivian Schiller, who is in talks to become Twitter’s new head of news, tweeted the development Wednesday morning.
Separately, NBCU said it will join Twitter’s Amplify program, which connects advertisers to near real-time video clips of events.