Exclusive: Comcast SportsNet leverages journalist-focused Facebook strategy to increase reach
In the past two years, Facebook has made a concerted effort to get more journalists to use its platform. It has also worked to better engage sports fans in attempt to capture more of the live conversation from Twitter.
Facebook today released a case study on its media hub detailing how Comcast SportsNet (CSN), the regional sports network, took advantage of these initiatives during the past MLB season. CSN had their on-air talent and sports journalists engage more on Facebook, and the networks included on-air integrations like Q&A segments that made use of fan responses on Facebook pages.
“The person-to-person connection in sports is a key area for engagement,” Rob Shaw, Sports Media Partnerships, Facebook, told Found Remote. “Activating sports media professionals on Facebook who engage with their audience regularly, particularly around live sports events, is an excellent way to drive the reach and awareness that many of our sports broadcast partners hope to achieve.”
Here’s how CSN’s efforts paid off:
· 6.5M sports fans reached by CSN affiliates during the first half of the MLB season (April – July) by on-boarding its talent on Facebook with a robust posting strategy.
· 62% average growth of talents’ Pages over the 4-month span of the program
· 800K+ average monthly reach of Brodie Brazil’s Page, greater than many national baseball journalists on the platform.
· 400% increase in referral traffic from talent pages back to NBC Sports digital properties.
"This partnership with Facebook was successful on several levels," said Jen Franklin, VP of Digital for NBC Sports Regional Networks. "Onboarding our digital insiders and broadcasters increased the visibility of our talent and networks, and by integrating Facebook content during our live game broadcasts, we significantly extended our overall reach and engagement."
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