TV trending on Twitter with purchase of social TV start-up Trendrr

SAN FRANCISCO -- Trending on Twitter (and at Twitter): TV.

With so many conversations on the popular social network revolving around the latest developments on “Breaking Bad” or “The Newsroom,” Twitter has been working behind the scenes to turn television into a major part of its business.

On Wednesday Twitter snapped up Trendrr, a start-up that tracks and analyzes conversations about TV shows on Twitter and other social media sites such as Facebook to help networks engage with viewers and get them to tune in.

Trendrr founder Mark Ghuneim, a former Sony Music executive, made the announcement in a blog post.

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“Over the last five years we have led the way in working with real-time data and television, unlocking the power and value of engagement around TV,” Ghuneim wrote. “Having sat at this intersection of TV and social media for years, we’ve analyzed data from lots of platforms. What makes Twitter uniquely compelling among these platforms is its connection to the live moment — people sharing what’s happening, when it’s happening, to the world.”

It’s the latest in a series of acquisitions – including analytics company Bluefin Labs -- signaling Twitter’s deepening interest in TV. Twitter also commissioned a study by Nielsen to show how popular TV shows are on Twitter.

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