Twitter is attempting to secure its position at the nexus between television and digital media, announcing a new TV ad-targeting programme along with a flurry of partnerships with media companies including Major League Baseball, Time Inc, Vevo and Vice.

The launch came as the social media company added a new security tool to its website, making it harder for outsiders to gain access to accounts, a month after a false posting triggered a stock-market decline. The two-step authentication measure, which became available as an option yesterday, requires users to input a code sent via text message to a mobile phone in order to log in.

The company’s new ad product taps special technologies to “watch” television and note when a commercial airs. At the same time, it “listens” to Twitter for people posting about the same show. The technology then allows advertisers to target ads on Twitter to people who are likely to have seen their commercials on television.

Twitter also unveiled its Twitter Amplify programme, a series of partnerships with media companies that will introduce into users’ news feeds more video clips as well as real-time sponsorships that link ads on television to promotions on Twitter. Amplify extends Twitter media partnerships beyond television to include magazine publishers, sports leagues and music groups.

“We often have thought about Twitter plus TV, but we are now thinking about Twitter times TV,” Adam Bain, Twitter’s chief revenue officer, said during an event in New York. “Twitter is a bridge, not an island. It is a bridge to things that appear on many screens.”

Twitter is attempting to capitalise on the trend of people visiting social networking sites and using mobile devices while watching television. A recent Nielsen study found a strong correlation between increases in the amount of tweets about a show, and its TV ratings.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013/Bloomberg