Twitch unveils March Madness partnerships with Wendy’s and Philips Norelco

Launched in 2011, Twitch has grown rapidly, reaching an audience size of approximately 7.5 million streamers in late 2021 – most of them millennials and gen Zers. It has also become a major streaming service among sports fans. According to the company, its sports-related streaming underwent an increase of more than 400% last year, “showing that Twitch is becoming a go-to destination to watch content around marquee sporting events.”

The new March Madness activation is both the latest effort from Twitch to expand its popularity in the sports community, as well as the latest push from big-name brands to cash in on the platform’s huge viewership.

“With hours watched of sports content on Twitch growing in the triple-digit percentages last year, we’re thrilled to open up some of our original content on /TwitchSports to both returning and new advertisers on Twitch,” said Sarah Iooss, head of sales for the Americas at Twitch. “We’re helping brands expand their traditional sports sponsorships, not only through unparalleled incremental reach but through direct real-time interaction with millennial and gen Z sports fans. It’s an exciting time for us as we’re rewriting the playbook for how advertisers engage with viewers around key marquee sporting events.”

Wendy’s, a returning Twitch sponsor, will feature a segment of ‘SuperFan FaceOff,’ wherein hosts will call out their favorite daily menu items from Wendy’s. Philips Norelco will sponsor ‘SuperFan FaceOff,’ leveraging the platform’s integrated chat feature to reach younger consumers. Branding from both sponsor companies will also appear on the Twitch platform and livestreams for the duration of the activations. ‘Let’s Go! College Hoops’ and ‘SuperFan FaceOff’ will both feature commentary from popular Twitch streamers, as well as athletes and sports analysts.

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