The World Surf League announced an exclusive distribution partnership with Facebook, making the social media platform its digital home for live surfing events in '18 and '19. "This is game-changing for the sport in many ways and, with current and new fans front of mind, we can retain the free offering to fans," WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said. "It allows us to deliver the world’s best surfing content to even more people." The deal expands on last year's partnership, which included simulcasts of the men's and women's Championship Tour events as well as Big Wave Tour events on Facebook and the WSL's website and mobile app. More than 13.9 million fans viewed a WSL event on the social network in '17. Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships Dan Reed said, "This is a natural next step in our terrific partnership, which has steadily progressed over the years as the league has expertly used Facebook to distribute content and build community." Along with all live events being available globally on Facebook, U.S. fans can stream content on VOD service Facebook Watch, which will increase its programming, such as weekly recap show "Surfing Sundays," this year. The 2018 WSL Championship Tour will commence with an event staged on Australia's Gold Coast from March 11-22. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
