Elon Musk's Twitter gets support from NBCUniversal's Linda Yaccarino

One of Twitter’s biggest media partners, and a major force in advertising, Linda Yaccarino, chairman, global advertising sales partnerships at NBCUniversal, is “obsessed” with Elon Musk’s maneuvers since taking over Twitter.

“First of all, I think it’s fascinating,” Yaccarino said on Thursday during the Ad Age Next: Streaming conference, when the discussion, as so many do these days, turned to the billionaire and his new ownership of Twitter.

Yaccarino noted that she was not necessarily authorized to talk about Musk, but that she has been in talks with him in recent weeks as part of Twitter's council calls set up with industry executives.

Many media and advertising partners have had a series of conversations with Musk in order to get his take on where the platform is headed. Twitter is not the largest ad platform in terms of revenue, or the largest social media platform in terms of users, but it holds an influential position in media and the public conversation.

“There is no surrogate for Twitter,” Yaccarino said. 

Yaccarino was clearly rooting for Musk to figure out Twitter, saying that “Twitter is the single, No. 1 biggest content partner, content distribution partner for NBCUniversal.”

NBCU is just one of Twitter’s major media partners, relationships that the platform has fostered since at least 2013. That's when Twitter launched Amplify, an advertising and content program where media companies and sports leagues post videos and run commercials inside of them. Twitter splits ad revenue with the partners, and the ad inventory is considered some of the more brand-safe placements on the service. Brands are assured that their ads run right inside vetted content. Twitter has made these media deals a cornerstone of its digital NewFront presentation every year, showcasing how TV networks and sports leagues like the NBA promote their live programming on Twitter, and open advertising opportunities.

Musk has been in a mess with many advertising and media partners since taking over Twitter at the end of October. Musk is trying to get a handle on the platform, but there have been concerns that he could change moderation policies in ways that unleash more trolling and hate speech. Many advertisers even paused spending on ads on the service until they get a clearer understanding of how Musk will run the show.

“He understands safety and transparency,” Yaccarino said, “but you’ve got to give the guy a minute.” Yaccarino added that she wouldn’t “bet against him.”

“He can learn advertising,” Yaccarino said. “Give me a break, I think we can teach him.” And Yaccarino encouraged the ad industry to be part of that solution.