Sky Sports to live stream transfer deadline day on Twitter
As deadline day approaches, Sky is partnering with Twitter to live stream key player transfers to capitalise on social conversations in one of football’s biggest days.
Sky Sports will live stream deadline day on Twitter
It’s the final two days for transfers as clubs look to complete their business for the final stretch of the season. The January transfer window slams shut at 11pm GMT on Tuesday night.
The company will live stream from the Sky Sports Newsroom at 12-1pm, 5-6pm and the final hour from 10-11pm on Deadline Day (31 January). This will include commentary from guests Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas, as they assess and react to all of the day’s stories.
Footballs fans will able to watch the live coverage on Twitter and Sky Sports own properties, including its site and app.
The broadcaster hopes to drive fans from social media to its own properties, where fans can follow the transfers on a 24-hour rolling news channel.
Earlier in the season the broadcaster reported a 19% decline in audience figures for its Premier League coverage compared to the same period last year. The partnership with Twitter is part of a series of new measures intended to spark more interest in its content by delivering it across different platforms.
Recognising social media is where the sport conversation is happening while it grapples with a loss to live viewing, Sky Sports has been using platforms like Snapchat and Facebook to tease content in hopes this will drive greater engagement to its own channels.
“Deadline Day is a huge date in the diary for everyone who loves football, it provokes countless conversations and Sky Sports News can be relied on to deliver the news as it breaks through to the final seconds," said Andy Cairns, executive editor of Sky Sports News. "Every window we strive to find new ways for fans to follow our coverage and deliver the stories in a way that suits their busy lives.”
Sky Sports director of digital Dave Gibbs added: “Our job is to package the fascinating stories across all the platforms we have so that fans can decide the best way for them to follow the news, whether that’s watching Sky Sports News HQ, live streaming on Twitter, or across our apps and website.”