TikTok announced a new multi-year agreement with the NFL that will expand the football league’s presence on the platform and offer new engagement and interaction features for fans.
Through the updated partnership, TikTok will add new NFL game day hubs, powered by the platform’s GamePlan sports partnership offering, which lets sports leagues build their presence in the app.
As explained by TikTok “The experience gives fans a space to discover content, engage with trending videos, complete fan-based tasks to earn exclusive benefits, and connect around the moments they care about most, bringing a whole new sports audience into TikTok’s shared, participatory fandom experience.”
TikTok will also host more game highlights, archival moments and “year-round storytelling” from the league and individual teams. The app will also offer advertisers new opportunities to tap into NFL-related trends through its Pulse Premiere offering.
This could be worth considering. TikTok said that posts using the #NFL tag increased by more than 32% during the past year, underlining the popularity of the sport among TikTok’s user base.
Arguably, the platform has also changed the way many fans engage with sports content. TikTok previously reported that 59% of TikTok users say watching sports content in the app is more entertaining than watching actual games.
As such, sports leagues looking to maximize fan connection need to consider the TikTok effect, and how the diversification of sports viewership is changing fandom.
