Twitter’s latest partnership is with Campus Insiders, a digital platform that broadcasts live events on its website, smartphone apps, and across a range of streaming devices. As part of the deal, Twitter will live-stream more than 300 college sports events including football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, volleyball, field hockey, water polo, and swimming.
In addition to the live broadcasts, Twitter will also stream breaking news, highlights, and match analysis segments produced by Campus Insiders and the ACC Digital Network, both of which are owned by Silver Chalice.
“Twitter is the fastest way to see what’s happening in sports,” said Anthony Noto, Twitter’s chief financial officer. “Our partnership with Campus Insiders will bring live streaming video of college sports directly to the people who are already talking about it on Twitter, all on a single screen.”
This month alone, Twitter beefed up its sports streaming offering with the addition of ESPN highlights from the Wimbledon tennis championships and the aforementioned Pac-12 university sports coverage. Earlier this year, Twitter struck its biggest live-streaming deal to date with the NFL to broadcast a selection of live Thursday Night Football games. The deal cost Twitter a reported $10 million.
Live sports are a massive talking point on Twitter, with the platform’s users live tweeting millions of posts during an event. The recent UEFA Euro 2016 soccer tournament saw 14.2 million tweets shared over the course of the final match between France and Portugal. Super Bowl 50 also transformed Twitter into a hive of activity earlier this year, with 16.9 million tweets posted in a matter of hours.
As Noto’s statement reveals, Twitter is hoping that its live-streams will see it transformed from a second screen soapbox to the main screen for sporting events.
