Twitter Pushes Live-Video Deals With MLB, NFL, Viacom, BuzzFeed, Live Nation, WNBA and More – Variety
×
You will be redirected back to your article in seconds

Twitter Pushes Live-Video Deals With MLB, NFL, Viacom, BuzzFeed, Live Nation, WNBA and More

By
Todd Spangler

NY Digital Editor

Todd's Most Recent Stories

View All
Audra McDonald - Twitter NewFronts
CREDIT: Todd Spangler/Variety

Twitter is looking to dramatically ratchet up its video tonnage: The social service announced 14 new, renewed or expanded deals for live premium content with partners including Major League Baseball, the NFL, Viacom, the WNBA, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg Media, Live Nation, the PGA, Ben Silverman’s Propagate, and IMG Fashion.

The new deals and collaborations will add hundreds of hours of exclusive content to Twitter, including live sports, concerts, news and entertainment, according to the company.

Execs touted the pacts at Twitter’s first Digital Content NewFronts presentation Monday in New York. Twitter and Bloomberg Media were so excited about their new partnership that they let loose word of their plans to launch a 24-hour news channel ahead of their respective NewFronts events.

“We want to be the first place that anyone hears of anything going on that matters to them,” said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. “That’s our focus.”

Guests on hand at the evening event for marketers and agencies included NBA commissioner Adam Silver, ESPN analyst Jay Williams, TV producer Ben Silverman, NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, NFL star A.J. Green, and singer-actress Audra McDonald (pictured above, playing a “did you tweet that” quiz game with BuzzFeed staffers Isaac Fitzgerald and Saeed Jones).

Twitter emphasized the immediacy of live video, and the ability of its platform to foster real-time conversation with audiences in one integrated experience. “Twitter is what’s happening, and what people are talking about right now,” said chief marketing officer Leslie Berland.

In the first quarter of 2017, Twitter streamed more than 800 hours of live video from content partners across more than 450 events, reaching 45 million unique viewers. COO Anthony Noto said the new partners join Twitter’s roster of more than 200 existing premium content providers.

Twitter’s highest-profile live event programming so far has been NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” last fall — and Twitter was beat out by Amazon for the 10-game package next season.

The company’s new original and live programming includes:

Sports

  • WNBA: Starting later this month, the women’s basketball league will live-stream a weekly regular-season game on Twitter (20 total per season) during the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.
  • MLB Advanced Media: In addition to weekly live MLB games that stream on Twitter this season, the league will stream a new three-hour once-per-week whip-around program exclusively on Twitter. The show will feature live MLB game look-ins and highlights, delivering top moments and analyzing stories as they trend in real-time.
  • Stadium: A new, original 24-hour video network slated to launch on Twitter in the coming months that will combine exclusive live college sporting events with highlights, classic games, and daily live studio programming.
  • NFL: This fall Twitter will extend its partnership with the NFL, to offer live pregame video and on-demand highlights during key matchups.
  • The Players’ Tribune: The sports media company founded by Derek Jeter is launching “#Verified,” a live show that will let athletes connect directly with fans by answering questions and sharing their takes on topics on and off the field. The series is scheduled to feature regular interviews from top pros, including Karl-Anthony Towns, A.J. Green and Richard Sherman.
  • PGA Tour: On top of the current live-streaming deal between Twitter and PGA Tour Live (which features more than 70 hours of live competition coverage across 31 tournaments), the PGA Tour will live-stream 360-degree video of the iconic island 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass during The Players Championship (May 11-14) on Periscope and Twitter.

Entertainment

  • Viacom: Twitter announced a live-streaming deal with the media conglomerate for pre-show red carpet coverage and live event timelines for the MTV Movie and TV Awards (May 7); the BET Awards (June 25); and the MTV Video Music Awards (Aug 27)
  • Live Nation: Concert promoter will deliver select concerts and original content exclusively on Twitter. The concert series launches on Saturday, May 13, with a live stream of the Zac Brown Band in their hometown of Atlanta from Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park. Other upcoming shows will feature Train, Portugal. The Man, August Alsina and Marian Hill.
  • IMG Fashion: Will launch a live program in September 2017 consisting of exclusive runway shows and behind-the-scenes Fashion Week content for Twitter users, live from New York, Milan, Paris, London and elsewhere.
  • Propagate: Studio headed by Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens will present “#WhatsHappening,” a live daily, entertainment-driven, primetime show covering pop culture, music, TV, celebrity tweets, and top-trending discussions. Launching in the fall, “#WhatsHappening” will be hosted by comedian Phoebe Robinson of podcast 2DopeQueens).

News

  • Bloomberg Media: Set to debut in the fall, the network will combine the editorial and news-gathering resources of Bloomberg with Twitter’s audience reach and tools.
  • BuzzFeed News: “MorningFeed” will be a new morning news and current-events show broadcast live on Twitter, geared around the latest in “fire Tweets.” Hosts will bring news and memes to audiences’ timelines from reporters in the field and special in-studio guests. Wendy’s has signed as sponsor for the BuzzFeed News show.
  • The Verge: Vox Media’s tech publication this fall is slated to premiere “Circuit Breaker: The Verge’s Gadget Show,” a weekly live program that will review and test out hot new consumer electronics.
  • Cheddar: The millennial-focused financial news startup will present the hour-long “Opening Bell” live daily at 9 a.m. ET from the New York Stock Exchange live on Twitter. The show expands Twitter’s deal with Cheddar for the “Closing Bell” show at 3 p.m. ET, which has aired on Twitter since last October.

Twitter held the event at the Cedar Lake venue in Manhattan’s West Chelsea neighborhood.

Popular on Variety

  • Game of Thrones

    Questions the 'Game of Thrones' Cast Can't Wait to Never Be Asked Again

  • 'Game of Thrones' Cast Picks Best

    'Game of Thrones' Cast Pick the Best Death Scenes

  • 'Game of Thrones' Cast Relives Their

    'Game of Thrones' Cast Relives Their Wildest Fan Encounters

  • Taron Egerton, who plays singer Elton

    Taron Egerton Calls Paramount's Attempt to Cut Out 'Rocketman' Gay Sex Scene 'Nonsense'

  • Zachary LeviWarner Bros. Pictures and DC

    'Shazam's' Zachary Levi Credits Self-Love for His Success

  • Linda HamiltonBig Screen Achievement Awards, Arrivals,

    Linda Hamilton Calls Last Three 'Terminator' Movies 'Forgettable'

  • Michelle Wolf attends Variety's Power of

    Michelle Wolf Roasts Trump for Skipping Third Correspondents' Dinner

  • Hugh Jackman'Missing Link' film premiere, Arrivals,

    Hugh Jackman Was Rejected From His High School Production of 'The Music Man'

  • Watch Bette Midler's Impassioned Plea for

    Watch Bette Midler's Impassioned Plea for a More Just, Civilized and Loving Planet

  • Christiane Amanpour

    Christiane Amanpour: 'We Are Bludgeoned Over the Head by Untruthful Trope of Fake News'

More Music

  • Nipsey Hussle

    Stevie Wonder, Lauren London, Snoop Dogg Bring Tears at Nipsey Hussle Memorial

    Offering closure after nearly two weeks of impromptu tributes across the city, murdered Los Angeles rapper and entrepreneur Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom was celebrated with a three-hour memorial service at Staples Center on Thursday, featuring tributes, performances and eulogies from family and famous friends in front of a massive crowd at the 20,000-capacity venue. The [...]

  • Rickey Minor Academy Awards Music Director

    Oscars Music Director Rickey Minor Reveals 10 Secrets of the Telecast

    Rickey Minor is an old hand at conducting music for live TV shows, having handled such chores on “American Idol,” the Grammys and the Emmys. This year, he scored his biggest gig yet: as music director of the Academy Awards. “It’s the biggest and most prestigious show for a reason,” he says. “It is the [...]

  • Radiohead Respond to Report on Crew

    Radiohead React to Findings on Crew Member's Death, Urge Greater Safety Regulations

    Radiohead has taken to social media to respond to a Canadian coroner’s inquest into the death of the band’s drum technician, who was killed in a stage collapse prior to a scheduled performance in Toronto in 2012. “The inquest into the death of our friend and crew member,Scott Johnson, has now concluded,” the band’s statement [...]

  • Nipsey HussleWarner Music's Pre-Grammys Party, Arrivals,

    Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar Honor Nipsey Hussle

    While there have been many tributes onstage at the Nipsey Hussle memorial service taking place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center today, there are many more within the event’s program. Tributes from Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, YG, the Game and athletes such as Russell Westbrook and James Harden are included in the program. Jay-Z wrote: “Renown[ed] late [...]

  • Diana Ross performs during Motown 60:

    Motown — Busier Than Ever in 2019? TV Specials, Broadway Musicals Reload the Jukebox

    Motown has almost certainly never had more ancillary projects happening at once in the realms of TV and theater than it does in 2019. Among the offshoots keeping the catalog alive in multiple media: — The Ken Ehrlich-produced “Motown 60: A Grammy Celebration” airs on CBS April 21, after being filmed while the stars aligned [...]

  • Nipsey HussleROC Nation Pre-Grammy Brunch, Los

    Barack Obama Pays Tribute to Nipsey Hussle

    Barack Obama wrote a tribute to Nipsey Hussle that was read by hip-hop executive Karen Civil during the late rapper’s memorial service at Staples Center in Los Angeles today. The reading came after a moving performance by singer Marsha Ambrosius, who sang Mariah Carey’s “Fly Like a Bird.” Obama’s speech follows in full: Dear Friends [...]

  • Entertainment One eOne

    Entertainment One Acquires U.K.’s Audio Network for $215 Million

    Entertainment One has acquired U.K.-based independent music brand Audio Network, the two companies announced Thursday. The deal, worth $215 million, gives eOne full ownership of the independent music creator, publisher and licensor, which specializes in high-quality music for use in film, TV, advertising and digital media. Audio Network operates in nine countries: the U.S., U.K., [...]

More From Our Brands

Access exclusive content

© 2019 Penske Media Corporation

ad