Twitter strikes WNBA and MLL deals, adds further sporting content

Social media platform Twitter has agreed new rights deals with the Women’s National Basketball Association and Major League Lacrosse, along with adding a host of additional sporting content to its portfolio.

Twitter has agreed a three-season deal with the WNBA through which it will live stream 20 regular-season games per year in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The games will be available at wnba.twitter.com and via @WNBA. The agreement also includes the WNBA joining Twitter’s Amplify program, which will include 40 highlight packages per week being featured across Twitter.

The partnership will commence with the Dallas Wings at Phoenix Mercury game on May 14. The WNBA said the deal marks the first professional women’s sport to be live streamed on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Twitter will live stream MLL’s ‘Game of the Week’ during the 2017 season. The streaming schedule consists of 15 regular-season games and two postseason games. It began with the New York Lizards’ 13-7 defeat to the Denver Outlaws on Saturday.

The live stream is available globally for free to logged-in and logged-out users on Twitter and connected devices. Fans can access the live stream via mll.twitter.com or on @MLL_Lacrosse.

The partnership with Twitter includes digital video platform Lax Sports Network providing highlights of each streamed game for distribution across Amplify. LSN will also produce the pregame and postgame show for every game streamed on Twitter.

In other news, Twitter has enhanced its coverage of Major League Baseball and golf’s PGA Tour. In addition to weekly live MLB games that stream on Twitter this season, a new three-hour once weekly MLB program will live stream exclusively on Twitter. The show will feature live MLB game look-ins and highlights.

Building upon the current live stream relationship between Twitter and PGA Tour Live that features more than 70 hours of live competition coverage across 31 tournaments, the PGA Tour will live stream 360-degree video of the iconic island 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass during The Players Championship, which runs from May 11-14, on Periscope and Twitter.

Twitter has also said a new, original, fully programmed, 24/7 linear experience entitled ‘Stadium’ will stream live in the coming months. This network will integrate exclusive live collegiate sporting events, extensive highlights, classic games, and daily live studio programming.

Finally, The Players’ Tribune: #Verified, a forum designed for athletes to connect directly with fans, will be a live show, exclusively on Twitter, featuring athletes answering fan questions and sharing their insight, reactions and opinions on important topics on and off the field.

Driven by Twitter and fan-submitted questions, the series will debut in the coming months and will feature regular interviews from some of the most popular players across sports, including NBA basketball star Karl-Anthony Towns and NFL American football players A.J. Green and Richard Sherman.