Sky & Twitter In Champions League Drive
BSkyB has announced a deal with Twitter that will see the pay-television broadcaster share video highlights from UEFA Champions League games in real time, with instant replays of the best goals and post-match interview.
The new deal is set to further the social networking website’s drive into sports content, after announcing a similar agreement with the NFL last month.
The project aims to promote Sky’s sports channels and its internet service Now TV, with the broadcaster reported to be paying Twitter an undisclosed fee to promote its tweets across the social media platform, according to the Financial Times newspaper.
Media reports also indicate that it remains unclear how the deal will work with Sky owning the Champions League in the UK only, while Twitter cannot be geo-blocked.
Gidon Katz, director of Now TV, said of the deal: ‘We know that lots of people want access to great Sky Sports content but would rather dip in and out rather than having a full subscription.’
‘Sharing UEFA Champions League clips in real-time on social platforms helps us to highlight the benefits of instant, pay-as-you-go access to Sky Sports via Now TV.’
The recent deal signed by Twitter with the NFL will make game clips and other content available through its Amplify platform.
The Amplify revenue-generating programme allows television content owners to distribute programming in users’ Twitter feeds, with short adverts embedded and the revenue shared by the companies.
