Three weeks ago, Facebook announced a new marketing campaign informing consumers about its “Live” offering, an initiative that was made available to everyone in early April.
On Monday, it released the first Facebook Live sports-themed television advertisement encouraging fans to utilize the live streaming service to capture real-time content.
FacebookLiveSportsTVAd from SocialTimes on Vimeo.
“Facebook Live brings people together in real time for moments both silly and significant,” said Gary Briggs, Chief Marketing Officer at Facebook in a recent post. “It’s authentic and interactive, and it helps you share your experience in the moment with people you care about.”
The platform dove deeper into “Live” earlier this summer, partnering with 140 media companies and celebrities to publish content on Facebook Live to the tune of $50 million, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. It was the first widespread live content deal of its kind, which included publishing agreements with the likes of the New York Times, BuzzFeed, Mashable and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, among others.
What perhaps is even more telling about the reaffirmation to Facebook Live and sports is that Facebook doesn’t currently have a live streaming deal with any major U.S. professional sports league, similar to Twitter’s 10-game live streaming package with the NFL.
In late October, Facebook inked a partnership with the Atlantic 10 Conference to stream upwards of 15 men’s college basketball regular season games during the upcoming 2016-17 campaign. The Orlando Magic also recently broadcasted its first NBA game ever through the platform while Facebook even ventured into high school football this Fall, locking arms with Bleacher Report to broadcast three games around the country.
A fan even took to the live streaming service to capture the final out of Game 7 of the World Series and the reactions from long-time Chicago Cubs’ fans Bill Murray, John Cusack and Eddie Vedder.
So, could the latest advertisement coupled with continued use by teams and media entities be a sign of coming attractions, a sign to rights holders — domestic and abroad — that it is indeed the go-to platform for ‘live‘ sports content?
It sure looks like it.
