( CNN ) -- A collaboration between Twitter and CNN during football 's 2010 World Cup in South Africa has landed a top television award for innovation . Tweets soared to a record high during the month-long competition , which was held in Africa for the first time , and in recognition of the new phenomenon , CNN created a data visualization tool to measure the activity . CNN 's Twitter Buzz was an interactive screen which reflected the Twitter traffic on a particular topic , usually a player or a team . The more the topic was tweeted , the bigger the picture on the screen . And there were often surprising results . On the first day of the tournament the word `` Bees '' filled the page , a reference to the unique sound of the vuvuzelas which filled every stadium . South Africa 2010 was the first World Cup to be held since Twitter became one of the leading social media technologies and , at its peak , the interactive processed more than 13,000 tweets a minute when England played the United States in a group match on June 12 . During the tournament , won by Spain , Twitter Buzz handled more than 11 million World Cup-related tweets . The Twitter Buzz page on CNN.com also attracted a large audience with nearly 700,000 hits . In recognition of its success , CNN won the `` Innovative News '' category at the UK 's Royal Televison Society ( RTS ) Awards . The judges recognized that Twitter Buzz had given TV and internet viewers a unique insight into social media activity during the World Cup . `` It is very gratifying to win in the innovation category , which speaks so much to CNN 's commitment to harnessing technology in unique and distinct ways , '' said Tony Maddox , CNN International Managing Director . CNN previously won the same award in 2002 when its satellite telephone technology ushered in a new era of in-the-field newsgathering .
Twitter collaboration lands CNN honor at prestigious television awards . World Cup Twitter Buzz tracked social media activity during South Africa 2010 . The more a topic was tweeted , the bigger its image on an interactive screen . CNN won `` Innovative News '' category at UK 's Royal Television Society Awards .