Twitter acquires Gnip to better monetize its firehose of data

Twitter is acquiring Gnip, a social data provider that offers real-time insights for a bevy of social networks including Facebook, Tumblr, Google+ and, not surprisingly, its new owner.

“We want to make our data even more accessible, and the best way to do that is to work directly with our customers to get a better understanding of their needs,” Twitter said in a blog post. “To that end, we have agreed to acquire Gnip, a leading provider of social data and a long-standing Twitter data partner.”

Twitter said it will be using Gnip’s expertise to offer businesses “more sophisticated data sets” and “better data enrichments.” The company knows it has an abundance of user data and, by offering premium analytics, will be able to prove that to prospective customers and partners.

To this end, Twitter said it will work with Gnip to extend its existing data platform, both through its public APIs and the Boulder-based startup’s offerings.

Gnip first partnered with Twitter four years ago, and now offers its users “complete access” alongside nine other services including Tumblr, WordPress and Foursquare. That selection is backed up with slightly more restrictive “managed public API access” for 16 other social platforms including Facebook, Flickr, Google+, Vimeo and YouTube.

To date, Gnip says it has delivered over 2.3 trillion tweets to customers in 42 different countries. “Combining forces with Twitter allows us to go much faster and much deeper,” Gnip chief executive Chris Moody said. “We’ll be able to support a broader set of use cases across a diverse set of users including brands, universities, agencies, and developers big and small.”

Twitter is currently on a small acquisition spree. Aside from Gnip, the company has recently picked up Android lockscreen startup Cover, as well as social TV analytics firms Mesagraph and SecondSync.

Top Image Credit: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images