Once again, the rumor mill is buzzing with reports that Twitter has acquired third-party client TweetDeck.
Citing "sources close to the deal," CNN Money is reporting that the deal was finalized Monday. Twitter reportedly paid TweetDeck with a mix of stock and cash adding up to about $40 million. But Twitter has kept mum on the rumors and has only spoken up to say that it will continue to do so.
"For all those who might be curious, we continue to not comment on rumors," @twitterglobalpr tweeted late Monday night.
But is Twitter just playing coy? The reports of a marriage of Twitter and TweetDeck aren't new. In April, The Wall Street Journal reported that Twitter was in "advance talks" to buy TweetDeck for roughly $50 million. Then earlier this month, TechCrunch corroborated the rumors, reporting that a deal worth around $40 to $50 million was complete.
It's possible TweetDeck was searching for a suitor even before these rumors cropped up. Earlier this year, it seemed UberMedia would nab TweetDeck for $25 to $30 million. UberMedia had a 30-day exclusive on the negotiations, but apparently the company took too long, and Twitter jumped in with a higher offer.
TweetDeck is an Adobe-Air-based application that allows users to organize all their social media feeds, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others. It's no surprise that Twitter would want to snap up TweetDeck. Twitter recently changed its policy, placing a moratorium on new third-party apps, and TweetDeck is the most popular client not made by Twitter itself.
Twitter started making its own apps last spring after it bought iPhone client Tweetie, and Twitter claims that 90 percent of people use the company's official apps. It's looking more and more likely that the rumors of a TweetDeck acquisition are true, and if they are, Twitter will have tightened its grip around the space.