We already know that Donald Trump has a penchant for Twitter, and when the presidential debates commence next Monday, we’ll see to what extent Twitter has a penchant for Donald Trump.
A new deal brokered between the social media platform and Bloomberg Television will allow the Twitterverse to view a live-stream of all three presidential debates, the first of which is to take place on September 26. The vice presidential debate featuring Tim Kaine and Mike Pence on October 4 will also be live-streamed, as will the two subsequent presidential showdowns on October 9 and October 19.
This year’s historic election, which has already seen its fair share of firsts, is also perhaps the most social media savvy to date. Numerous tech companies have done their fair share to make political discourse accessible and help voters exercise their civic right — for example, Google has unveiled a number of new tools that allow voters to examine important issues at hand, and obtain all the necessary information to register and vote on November 8. And Twitter is no stranger to live-streaming political events, either — earlier this year, its partnership with CBS News allowed the social media site to live-stream both parties’ national conventions.
And if you’re not a Twitter user, never fear. There will be plenty of ways to watch the debates this year — Bloomberg will be providing the exact same content on Bloomberg.com and on its app, all for free. Facebook will also stream the debate as per a live-streaming agreement with ABC. So really, you don’t have an excuse for not knowing what mud was slung on the national stage over the next few weeks.
All the same, if politics make you want to stick your head in the ground these days, heads up — Twitter is also live-streaming NFL games for entertainment that (for some) seems lower stakes. So no matter what you’re into, it looks like Twitter and its live-streams may have something for you.
