Seven West Media and Twitter have announced a social media partnership, which will see footage from the Tokyo Olympic Games shared on the platform.
The collaboration will see Seven broadcast five minutes of footage, up to eight times a day, of some of the most coveted Tokyo 2020 sporting events including athletics, surfing and swimming. Seven will also broadcast an Olympics version of its hit sports show, Armchair Experts, on 7plus and Twitter.
The daily live panel show will be hosted by sports stars Georgie Parker, Adam Cooney, and Cameron Luke, where the trio will analyse and provide commentary from the day’s competition.
For Seven, the partnership will tap into an additional highly engaged and young demographic on Twitter, and will help to drive audiences to 7plus for more comprehensive and exclusive coverage of Tokyo 2020 and connect with Seven’s brand partners. Research conducted by Twitter found that three out of five Aussie sports fans believe that Twitter keeps you involved in sport even if you’re not there in the flesh, and more than half believe Twitter is the place to connect with other sports fans during events like Tokyo 2020.
The partnership with Twitter will also help extend the opportunities for Seven’s Tokyo 2020 sponsors. Key partners such as McDonald’s, Toyota and AAMI will be integrated into Seven’s Twitter content via in-stream ads, live-stream sponsorship and branded content – a powerful combination for brands and consumers.
Today’s announcement builds on a long strategic partnership between Seven and Twitter, which has seen the two collaborate and innovate on co-branded partnerships for numerous events and cultural moments including Seven’s coverage of the AFL and the previous Summer Olympics.
Nicole Bence, Network Digital Sales Director at Seven West Media, said: “We’re thrilled to team up with Twitter to bring audiences some of the best moments from the most highly anticipated event of the decade. Our long and innovative relationship with Twitter allows us to reach new audiences and deliver impactful moments for our sponsors. This is the first time an Olympic Games has been live streamed on a partner platform in Australia and we look forward to not only providing the people on Twitter with unique access to the biggest cultural event in the world, but to help our sponsors extend their reach to Twitter’s highly engaged and young demographic and drive successful outcomes for their brands.”
Ian Wheeler, Global Content Partnerships Manager at Twitter Australia said: “People come to Twitter to connect with what’s happening in the world and discuss the topics that matter to them most. And for Australians, one of the most popular topics we’re all talking about is sports. While live sports looked a lot different last year, Twitter has come to serve as our local pub with half of sports fans on Twitter reporting to be serial scrollers — reading continuous commentary via the platform and engaging in conversations while watching a game on TV.
“As Aussies tune in to Tokyo 2020 next month to cheer on our athletes, we’re excited to provide that second screen experience for fans to watch and participate in the Games we have long waited for. We’ll see a host of new sports like surfing and skateboarding, hit our screens too, which we know will resonate with fans.
“Whether commuting to or from work or unwinding at the end of the day, Twitter will provide a forum for Aussies to unite over one of our nation’s favourite pastimes on a global stage.”
