Social media platform Twitter has enhanced its growing commitment to sports content by agreeing a raft of partnerships for the Asia Pacific region across the likes of cricket, tennis and esports.
The sports deals were among 35 collaborations announced, including news and entertainment programming.
In the sports sphere, a partnership with Cricket Australia will see clips from the forthcoming Ashes series between Australia and England brought to fans in Australia and India via @CricketAus. In addition to the Ashes, cricket fans will also have access to highlights and videos from the Big Bash League, women’s Ashes and the Women’s Big Bash League.
In addition, an agreement with the International Cricket Council will allow fans in Asia Pacific to experience replays and highlight videos on Twitter from the ICC’s events in 2018.
Under a deal with Australian commercial broadcaster Seven, rights-holder of the Australian Open, the grand slam tennis tournament will be presented to fans in its home country via @7tennis on Twitter through highlights and other video content.
Twitter has also partnered with pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports Asia in an agreement that will present real-time highlights videos from its rights portfolio on Twitter in 2017 and 2018.
Twitter has expanded its partnership with video games developer Riot Games for its League of Legends esports series, with more content coming for fans in the Asia Pacific region.
Finally, all 26 matches of the second season of Premier Futsal, which will be hosted in India and the UAE from September 15 to October 1, will be available for fans from Asia and around the world to watch live on Twitter via @PremierFutsalHQ. In addition to this, 104 video clips will be offered via Twitter.
“Digital video consumption is growing rapidly in Asia Pacific and estimated to grow to over a billion by 2020,” Maya Hari, managing director of Asia Pacific for Twitter, said. “Introducing over 35 live and in-stream video sponsorship deals today to APAC advertisers will strengthen the success of our only-on-Twitter experience in the region and globally, combining high quality streaming video with conversation on what's happening in the world right now.”
In relation to the content partnerships, Twitter this week rolled out its in-stream video advertising offering to the region, starting with Australia.