The Seattle Sounders FC become the first MLS team to run Instagram Stories content, powered by Tagboard, on August 20 at CenturyLink Field. It was also a first for in-stadium. The campaign was so successful, the Sounders showcased Instagram Stories content again on August 27 when they played the Portland Timbers during rivalry week.
Tagboard, a social search and digital platform company, has announced the launch of its Instagram Story Displays storytelling solution, bringing the feature to broadcasts and in-stadium video boards for fans to see.
Tagboard has partnered with the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Sounders FC, Arizona Coyotes and Bayern Munich to launch these live in-stadium displays. Instagram Stories, a feature that was unveiled last year, enables users to share a series of videos or photos and have them disappear after 24 hours. Tagboard brings that experience to fans on-site or at home watching.
The Sounders became among the first teams to run an Instagram Story Display in-stadium at on Aug. 20 match at CenturyLink Field. The Eagles became the first NFL team to launch, as fans at Lincoln Financial Field were able to see the Instagram Story Display that provided images from the team’s account during an Aug. 24 preseason game.
“Our content team puts a lot of resources into providing unique access on game day and leverages the timeliness of Instagram Stories to do so,” Eric Long, Director of Production for the Eagles, said in a statement. “Showcasing that work to more than 65k people in the stadium is a great opportunity to continue to grow our audience and provide value in our fan experience. Tagboard has been a great partner in bringing our vision for live social engagement to life. They took the time to understand where we wanted to go and brought ideas to the table to propel us even further.”
For Coyotes fans, that will mean getting to see Instagram images and videos of the team during its morning skate and players arriving in their cars to the arena and getting ready for the game.
Teams also have access to Tagboard’s Advanced Search and Content Rights & Consent for user generated content on social media platforms so that they can discover and request rights for fan content such as Instagram photos.
“Together with our innovative clients across six professional sports leagues, we’re redefining the fan experience with Instagram Story Displays,” Tagboard CEO Josh Decker said in a statement. “We’re providing sports fans with a deeper connection to their favorite teams and players with the display of Instagram Stories content live in-stadium for the first time ever. Broadcast networks are also jumping on the trend. There’s a huge market opportunity for the integration of live social content across displays. The demand is there, and we’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg.”
The broadcast networks launching Instagram Story Displays on-air are Telemundo and also the Golf Channel, which according to the company is planning to use them in broadcasts this month.
“Our goal is to give golf fans the true 360 experience by offering innovative ways to engage with Golf Channel on-air,” Tina Lloyd, Director of Digital Marketing and Social Media, said in a statement. “With Instagram Stories, we’re taking #socialtv and fan engagement to the next level for our digitally engaged audience thanks to Tagboard’s expertise.”
