Twitter looks to be expanding their social network empire to include online reality shows.
The San Francisco, Calif.-based company, along with multiple Hollywood producers and network execs, are in serious talks about the possibility of launching several original video series via Twitter, according to sources. One project in particular could debut this year, potentially as early as the fall, said sources with knowledge of the discussions. Twitter, they said, has been actively pitching a select group of advertisers on a video series that would live on Twitter and enable users to participate in real time in some fashion.
Twitter declined to comment.
The original series has been described by sources as similar to MTV reality shows The Real World and The Hills; in fact, one of the producers behind The Hills is said to be behind the project. Per sources, the show could live on a standalone Twitter page similar to the events page that Twitter launched in partnership with Nascar in June, although the series’ page would more closely resemble a microsite in order to feature an expanded video player. Another possibility is that the series would be distributed within tweets—promoted, organic or pinned to a brand’s Twitter page—with users clicking to expand the tweet into a full-fledged video player.