Facebook allows fans to watch any aspect of Ironman, from the pro finish-line results to pre-race proceduresGETTY MAGES
Facebook Watch has acquired exclusive global digital rights to the Ironman triathlon series in a two-year deal with an option for a third, a vote of confidence in the endurance property after a trial run in '18. Facebook will pay an undisclosed rights fee, and Ironman will cover production costs. Facebook North American Sports Programming Lead Devi Mahadevia said participatory sports like Ironman, CrossFit and surfing "perform really well on Facebook Watch because they're highly communal, have established and engaged fanbases on our platform, and can take advantage of our flexible distribution." The company claims Ironman in '18 delivered 3.5 million unique viewers who consumed at least one minute of a broadcast, and 4.5 million engagements with all content on the Ironman Now Facebook Page. Ironman CEO Andrew Messick said the race series “stays in contact with everybody” who might distribute their content, but execs focused their efforts on renewing with Facebook after a successful '18 run. Messick said Facebook allows fans to watch any aspect of Ironman, from the pro finish-line results to pre-race procedures and behind-the-scenes event footage. Also, it combines the global user base in one place. “It gives people who care a lot about our sport the opportunity to get much closer to us, and it’s not something a different platform can easily replicate,” he said.
MAKING A LARGE COMMITMENT: Facebook will show 17 live competitions in '19, 19 in '20, and if the option is exercised, 22 events in '21. These will include the Ironman World Championship and the half-distance Ironman 70.3 World Championship, along with on-demand recaps. Facebook will not revive a weekly show from last year. Like World Surf League, which also has a global Facebook deal, Ironman events do not have set start and end times, presenting a challenge to traditional media. "On Facebook Watch, there is no set broadcast window or time limit for an event,” Mahadevia said. "This enables Ironman to air its events, some of which can last for more than nine hours, in their entirety." Facebook is counting on the Ironman streams to supercharge engagement among its users with an interest in triathlon and to drive more users to Facebook Watch, Mahadevia said. Ironman will look to total engagement numbers and growth in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia as key performance indicators, Messick said. Also, Ironman will analyze user patterns on the global stream to better understand which time zones or parts of the broadcast resonate the most. The deal includes advertising inventory that Ironman can provide to its sponsors, Messick said.
