Last year, MLS took a big step in the digital world when it partnered with Facebook to make about two-dozen games available via the social network. Interestingly, after one season on Facebook, MLS has decided to take its talents to Twitter. Back on March 9th, the organizations announced a partnership between the two that would make 24-games a season in the US available on the platform. The very next day everything came to life when Real Salt Lake hosted LAFC, becoming the first match under this partnership to be streamed on Twitter. One was able to catch the stream via @MLS, @FutbolMLS, or @UnivisionSports on the platform.
According to Chris Schlosser, MLS’ SVP of Media, “MLS constantly strives to connect with fans in new and innovative ways. Our fans are the youngest and most socially engaged in pro sports, which is why we are excited to partner with Twitter to feature live matches on their platform.”
According to MLS’ official press release, this is the first step in a collaborative relationship that will produce innovative executions over the course of the three seasons. We’ve seen Twitter’s relationship with leagues like the NBA & the NFL pay dividends digitally so this step offers a similar opportunity to a league that has identified digital marketing as a key pillar of their ability to cut through the clutter. The NBA’s approach to fan voting for the All-Star game on Twitter has been nothing short of a success by creating a new behavior for fans on the platform.
While we wait to see what MLS & Twitter can conjure up, let’s sit back and enjoy the fact that we have one more way to watch MLS.
You can tune into this weekend’s match at 3:30PM ET when NYCFC host Orlando City.
You've got 2⃣ ways to watch #NYCvORL this Saturday! Tune in beginning at 3:30 pm ET on @Univision or catch the match right here on Twitter. https://t.co/lYe45aAFDn
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 14, 2018
For more details and to see a full list of MLS matches streaming on Twitter this season, click here.
Categories: Digital Content, Major League Soccer, Soccer Marketing, Social Media