Disney considering Twitter bid – report

Media and entertainment company Walt Disney is considering a bid to buy social media company Twitter, according to the Bloomberg news agency.

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said that Disney is working with a financial advisor to weigh up a potential bid, with Twitter said to have started an evaluation process regarding the sale.

The report added that cloud computing company Salesforce.com.inc is also considering a bid and is cooperating with financial services company Bank of America on the process.

Twitter has stepped up its sports coverage in recent months. In April, it became an exclusive partner of the NFL American football league and is delivering a live, over-the-top stream of Thursday Night Football games to a global audience across all devices during the course of the 2016 regular season.

In July, Twitter secured live streaming rights to Major League Baseball and National Hockey League ice hockey games under a deal with MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and internet arm of the North American baseball league.

Twitter has also expanded a deal with North American basketball league the NBA to bring exclusive original live programming and more to its service, and its Vine and Periscope platforms.

Disney owns US network ABC and sports broadcaster ESPN.