Social TV analytics startup Bluefin Labs officially joins Twitter’s flock

Contrary to what it sounds like, Twitter’s acquisition of Bluefin Labs does not signal a desire by the social network to get into the fishing business. It is, however, stepping up its game when it comes to social TV analytics.

Twitter confirmed yesterday’s rumors of its Bluefin Labs purchase in a blog post detailing why the startup is an important addition to Twitter’s overall strategy. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Bluefin Labs provides data about Twitter users while they watch various programs on television as well as demographics that are similar to what Nielsen has traditionally supplied to media companies. Most of the user data is collected from what people include into their Twitter profiles as well as what people tweet out publicly using hashtags or mentions during a particular program.

“We believe that Bluefin’s data science capabilities and social TV expertise will help us create innovative new ad products and consumer experiences in the exciting intersection of Twitter and TV,” Twitter COO Ali Rowghani wrote in the post.

The purchase makes sense given Twitter’s push to become an essential part of the media industry, and Bluefin Labs will undoubtedly help Twitter create a new “social ratings system” in partnership with Nielsen.

Bluefin isn’t the only company Twitter works with to help gain a window into the media world. The company also has a contract with Austin-based Mass Relevance, a startup that focuses on managing a brand or TV program’s crazy feed of mentions rather than analytics.