Young Brazil fans celebrate ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia match between Brazil and Mexico on July 2, 2018. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Snapchat and Facebook has been a success through the first half of the tournament.
The broadcaster, which has the exclusive rights as the English-language broadcaster of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, says its World Cup coverage on Snapchat attracted 20 million unique views in the U.S. through the group stage, with more than 70 percent of that audience clocking in under the age of 25.
The broadcaster has partnered with both Snapchat and Twitter to create content tailored toward each platform’s specific audiences for the World Cup. On Snapchat through the “Publisher Stories” feature, FOX Sports chronicles the day-by-day action through broadcast-level highlights, previews, recaps and analysis. Its coverage has included video, text, artwork, and motion graphics.
On Twitter, FOX Sports is exclusively live-streaming 27 shows from its studio in Moscow’s Red Square. Early in the tournament, on Jun. 21, Rachel Bonnetta’s WORLD CUP NOW show on Twitter eclipsed two million total views.
SportTechie Takeaway
Increased availability of streaming has given soccer fans around the world an easier way to watch live games. That has led to record-shattering online viewership, as we’ve seen across FOX Sports and Telemundo. And we’re only halfway through the month-long tournament.
Social media is playing a large role in fans’ level of engagement. While the 2014 World Cup in Brazil played a part in driving online discussions around the tournament, fans are spending a significant amount of time this year catching analysis shows, highlights, discussing games, and keeping up to date with matches via social media.
