Twitter is set to sign an analytics deal with NTT Data, a Japanese telecommunications company. The partnership aims to assist businesses in making sense of tweets and other social data to improve customer service. NTT Data will use Twitter’s data to develop new analytics tools, which will be marketed to businesses worldwide. The deal will also enable NTT Data to provide its customers with more detailed social data analysis.
This agreement mirrors Twitter’s previous deal with IBM. Similarly, IBM was granted access to Twitter’s data to improve its analytics services. Twitter’s decision to enter into another such partnership suggests a strategic shift towards becoming a data provider.
Twitter’s partnership with NTT Data is part of its larger strategy to monetise its data. The social media giant has been exploring ways to generate revenue from its vast amounts of user data. This move is expected to provide a significant boost to Twitter’s data licensing business, which accounted for $147 million, or roughly 10% of its total revenue, in 2014.
The deal with NTT Data is expected to be announced officially soon. The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.
Go to source article: http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/15/twitter-set-to-strike-ibm-style-analytics-deal-with-ntt-data/