Snap and the NFL recently announced a multi-year extension to their substantive partnership. Now that the season kicks off tomorrow, they’re revealing more details about what types of content fans can expect to see on Snapchat.
To the The start tomorrow eveningThey’ve developed a special augmented reality lens that takes fans from the Kansas Chiefs’ locker room (the Chiefs house the Houston Texans) through the tunnel to Arrowhead Stadium, where they are greeted by Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Houston Deshaun Watson.
The lens will be available nationwide and will transform into an entrance to a more general NFL stadium at the start of regular games.
After that, the NFL will create a highlight show that will be updated every game day, as well as three weekly shows – “Rankings” (which include historical NFL facts to spark fan debate), “Mic’d Up” (a wallpaper) scenes look at what coaches and players say during games) and “predictions”. The NFL will continue to produce “Real Talk with the NFL,” a show highlighting the League’s social justice initiatives.
Ian Trombetta, senior vice president of social and influence marketing for the NFL, told me that all of this content is created by the league’s social laboratory in partnership with Snap. And while the NFL continues to see high ratings on traditional linear television, he said Snapchat “is really critical to us”.
“It’s always about: How can we target new and younger audiences and do so in a way that is very authentic to the platforms,” said Trombetta. “We don’t want to do things that are just content dumps.”
Credit: Snap
According to Snapchat, NFL content viewership increased 80% in the 2019-20 season and 90% of viewers were under 35 years of age.
It’s going to be a strange time of year, of course. Like other professional sports organizations, the NFL must Test the players for COVID-19, and Different teams have different approaches Allow fans in the stadiums – many games will be played without fans at all.
“The [NFL] The organization relies on us more than ever, ”said Trombetta. “We have not ignored the fact what is happening. Anyone would be crazy to think we could turn this off completely. There has to be recognition for it and at the same time new ways have to be found, very seamless ways for fans to engage in and celebrate rituals around games that they have established over the years and decades. “