On Friday, the sports organization announced that it’s partnering with Facebook to livestream at least 22 matches from this year’s season on the platform.
The streams—shown on Univision Deportes’ Facebook page—will be available to users in the United States, and “will show specific angles for mobile phones and feature ‘Facebook-specific commentators, interactive graphics and fan Q&A and polling features,’” Business Insider reported.
“These are the same games that are being broadcast on Univision networks in Spanish, but Facebook has scored exclusive rights to the English language streams,” Techcrunch reported.
MLS issued a press release, which read, in part:
The first MLS match to be streamed on Facebook will be Atlanta United hosting the Chicago Fire on March 18 at 4 pm ET.
Additionally, MLS will produce 40 exclusive “Matchday Live” shows on Facebook on MLS game days, which will feature highlights and analysis from around the League and a preview of the day’s upcoming matches. These shows will be produced specifically for Facebook and available on the MLS Facebook page. The pilot episode of "Matchday Live" ran on MLS Opening Weekend, and the next episode will happen this weekend, starting at 4 pm ET.
The organization’s president and managing director, Gary Stevenson, said the deal ensures fans of the game can access content:
“We are committed to serving our passionate fans,” said Gary Stevenson, president and managing director, MLS Business Ventures in a statement. “We are working with all of our partners on making sure our games, and additional content, get to our fans anytime, anywhere, and on any device.”
For Univision, the partnership means the potential to grow its already massive English-language viewership:
“As the undisputed home of soccer in the U.S., Univision Deportes, together with MLS and Facebook, is committed to growing the sport across platforms and regardless of language,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes. “Further engaging the more than 18 million English-language viewers that have watched soccer on Univision coupled with the continued success of our MLS broadcasts, including our record-setting season opener, is a natural path in this new era of content consumption.”
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Facebook’s head of global sports partnerships said in the press release that the streams will give fans “an entirely new way to experience a live soccer broadcast.”
“Major League Soccer’s innovative approach to the fan experience has cultivated truly special in-stadium environments, where flag-waving and chant-singing fans come together to passionately support their clubs,” said Dan Reed, Facebook head of global sports partnerships. “We’re very excited for MLS and Univision Deportes to bring this same innovative, community-first spirit to the Facebook Live broadcasts of league matches this season. Their approach will provide fans with an entirely new way to experience a live soccer broadcast that is optimized for mobile screens and social viewing. So even if they're not at the stadium, people can watch the game on Facebook with a great view of the action while interacting with a highly-engaged community of fans."
Here’s the translation for marketing pros: Expect Facebook’s emphasis on video and live streaming to continue to grow.
The move follows Twitter’s partnership with the National Football League to live stream 10 Thursday-night games last season. Though its debut “received rave reviews,” according to CNet, Advertising Age reported that some of its sponsors were underwhelmed by viewership numbers:
"We're seeing a significant under-delivery from Twitter for our spots," the agency executive said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The problem is people aren't watching full games."
Other media buyers echoed that sentiment, saying that the viewer numbers were not impressive, yet.
. . . The second game delivered 327,000 average-minute viewers, a metric in line with how Nielsen measures TV. It got 2.2 million total "views," the measure commonly used in digital even if its definition varies. In this case it counts anyone who watches for even for a second.
The first game averaged 243,000 viewers and drew 2.1 million total views.
Another agency executive said Twitter had anticipated 500,000 average viewers, though it did not guarantee that.
For sports fans, the announcement could mean the inclusion of more games—and sports—as viewers look to watch via social media platforms, especially on mobile devices. Social media organizations such as Facebook and Twitter are clamoring for numbers, so a boost from exclusive content could translate into big advertising opportunities.
For marketers, the move highlights the growing trend towards live video. If you’re not already on the bandwagon, you might want to get started.
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