ESPN to extend Twitter efforts

US Sports network ESPN is reportedly set to step up its Twitter video efforts through an expansion of its collaboration with the microblogging network, due to be announced at its annual upfront in New York today.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, ESPN plans to broadcast highlight clips on the site of sporting events like World Cup football, X Games extreme sports and college American football.

The network will reportedly sell ads that will run inside the clips, with sponsors paying to promote the tweets on the site, and builds on a tie-up dating from last year that saw ESPN start to experiment with drawing fan tweets into its TV broadcasts.

The news came as Fox, which had its upfront yesterday, also announced a Twitter partnership to promote its shows via clips on the site.  According to an LA Times report, Fox will also use Twitter to push highlights of live events and share videos after they air.