Social media company Twitter has hired Todd Swidler to the new position of global head of live business as it seeks to continue its drive into the live content marketplace.
Formerly senior vice-president of video and partnerships at news agency Bloomberg, Swidler joins Twitter having been appointed chief executive of gaming and entertainment firm ESC Games in November.
The Recode website said Swidler will oversee the day-to-day running of the live video team at Twitter, including all partnerships.
Swidler will report directly to chief operating officer and chief financial officer Anthony Noto. A Twitter spokesperson told Recode that Swidler has assumed a new position inside Twitter, adding that he started on Monday.
Twitter has been building its presence in the sports content market of late. Its most recent major deal came earlier this month as American football league the NFL struck a new global multi-year deal with Twitter that it said will break new ground in creative live programming and video-on-demand content.
The NFL and Twitter, which have collaborated since 2013 through the Amplify program, will offer brands the opportunity to advertise on official NFL content created specifically for the Twitter platform.
The league will produce a 30-minute live digital show that will air on Twitter five days per week during the NFL season. The program will be hosted by top talent from league-owned cable television channel NFL Network and will cover the likes of breaking news, game highlights, key storylines, fantasy projections, team power rankings and pre-game updates.
The NFL will utilise Periscope and Twitter to bring fans unique live pre-game access from each of its primetime game windows, as well as other key match-ups during the season.
The NFL will also continue to program highlights, breaking news and analysis, as well as items such as ‘Throwback Thursday’.