Snapchat to partner with NCAA and others to feature live sports
Messaging app Snapchat is working on media-rights deals with sports leagues and broadcast networks, including the NCAA and Turner, to be able to feature live sports in its “Our Story” feature, Digiday reported.
The partnership will begin with the NCAA Final Four, but there are plans to expand it to other NCAA sporting events in the future.
Snapchat is looking to sell brand sponsorships for these stories, splitting ad revenue among the sports leagues, broadcasters, and itself, a digital executive involved with the negotiations told Digiday.
Executives also said Turner is close to finalizing its sponsorship deals with the Final Four stories.
Digiday said that Snapchat declined to comment on the record, NCAA did not return a request for comment, and Turner declined to comment.
Rohit Thawani, director of digital strategy and social media at TBWA\Chiat\Day, told Digiday: “Snapchat is turning into the SportsCenter of cultural moments. Remember how awesome it was when you’d go to a ball game and you’d make a sign with something funny on it and hope that it made it onto the Jumbotron or, even better, ESPN? Well, Snapchat is doing that with the NCAA and Chinese New Year, Diwali and any other significant moment in time.”
Last year, Snapchat rolled out its “Our Story” feature, which allows the messenger app to take photo and video messages from contributing users and put them together into one story for all Snapchat users to see. These public stories are based around events, such as college football games.