Twitter strikes two media partnerships, expanding TV presence

Twitter today announced partnerships with Mass Relevance and Crimson Hexagon, two companies that help TV outlets sift through the more than 250 million tweets made each day as they try to find comments relevant to their programing. With more 100 million people using Twitter, networks and brands are eager to get their "follow."

"Expect to see additional partnerships of this kind as we look for new ways to help everyone get the best out of Twitter," explains the official Twitter blog, revealing few details.

Twitter says these partnerships aren't a revenue source, but instead are a way to increase Twitter's presence on television as it tries to expand its user base. It's hard not to roll one's eyes at this sort of a statement since Twitter has been searching hard for ways to generate money from its millions of users.

Many TV shows run promotions encouraging viewers to follow Twitter streams for contests, behind-the-scenes tidbits, and sneak peaks. Some shows broadcast live viewer tweets, such as NBC's reality singing competition "The Voice." They hire companies like Mass Relevance to make this happen and find the most relevant tweets. The whole thing is like yelling at the TV screen and getting heard by the shows' contestants and judges (just don't curse, or your tweet won't make the cut).

While Twitter continues its quest for revenue, others are cashing in on the service. Today we learned celebrities can get paid up to $10,000 or more per Twitter post to tell their followers about clothes, cars and movies.