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Tumblr assembles a team to create live animated GIFs from the 2012 presidential debates

Tumblr assembles a team to create live animated GIFs from the 2012 presidential debates

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Meanwhile, YouTube announces it will provide live streaming coverage

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President podium
President podium

In a move sure to cause unprecedented levels of excitement among editors of The Verge, Tumblr has announced plans to pump out live GIF animations from the 2012 presidential debates. Tumblr says it's hired a "crack team of GIF artists" that will provide "instant animations of the best debate moments, from zingers, to gaffes, to awkward silences." To broadcast the GIFs to the world, Tumblr has built a special page called "Gifwich," and warns that following the page will flood user Dashboards with animations "on a minute-to-minute basis."

"Instant animations of the best debate moments, from zingers, to gaffes, to awkward silences."

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The 2012 debates will also have live coverage in the more buttoned-up parts of the internet. YouTube announced today a partnership with ABC news that will allow it to stream live coverage of the presidential and vice presidential debates. The debates will appear on YouTube's Election Hub, and the first debate starts on October 3rd at 9PM ET. And thanks to the wonder of the internet, you can opt to watch Tumblr's live coverage while you listen to YouTube's in the background.