Twitter and Showtime stream a boxing match at 9PM Eastern

Don’t expect to see boxing on a regular basis. Showtime is using the Twitter stream as a complement to a free preview weekend — it’s a sales tool for the TV network rather than a new delivery method. Still, the deal is something of a coup for Twitter, whose partnerships with broadcasters tend to involve news networks. It suggests that Twitter could be a go-to online destination for channel previews, and not necessarily in sports. And that could be particularly important for a company that’s still struggling to turn a profit and grow its user base.