Facebook, Twitter ink deals for major U.S. sports

Twitter’s three-year deal with MLS includes two dozen matches per season and additional content surrounding the league’s teams and players.

Univision is producing the games out of a facility in Miami, but for Twitter they’ll have English-speaking broadcast teams following the action.

All content will be funneled to viewers through the MLB and Univision Sports accounts. It’ll also likely get spotlight treatment in other areas. The first match is set for March 10, and it’ll be Los Angeles Football Club visiting Real Salt Lake.

It’s actually a steal from Facebook, who last year steamed a number of MLS matches spanning the season. MLS has been one of the more forward-thinking leagues in the country. In addition to providing national matches on global platforms, individual teams have recently signed deals with YouTube TV rather than regional sports networks.

The next target for Facebook, Twitter, and a myriad of other tech companies could be the National Football League. Its deal with Amazon expired at the end of the season, and now bids are coming in for the highly-coveted Thursday Night Football package. Twitter held streaming rights before, and Facebook previously submitted offers.

Since the NFL recently dished out a rare long-term deal for broadcast rights to FOX, it’s possible the league is set to do the same with streaming rights.

As we head into the next decade, keep an eye on overall broadcast rights going to tech companies and pushing out longtime partners. Their pockets are deep, and sports are the only piece of live programming still immune from changes in viewer behavior.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2018/03/09/facebook-mlb-twitter-mls-deals/