Micro-blogging platform Twitter has collaborated with The Football Association to create a DM Bot to deliver FA Cup video highlights in India and nine other markets.
Fans in 10 markets including the US, India, Thailand, Brazil, Egypt, and Nigeria can register to receive match action featuring six top English teams – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur by private message.
Fans following these teams on Twitter will get a direct message card in their timelines. The message cards will also be published in local languages. Highlights packages, such as Goal of the Round, will also be promoted on the FA Cup Twitter feed.
The initiative kicks off with the third round of the FA Cup from January 4 and continues till May 18. The video highlights clips will be up to 30 seconds in length and will be sent notifications and footage during and after games.
Fans will be invited to subscribe to watch other teams if their favourite team gets knocked out.
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Twitter plans to expand the reach of the competition from next season with more team and market deals. The main objective of the partnership is to raise awareness of the competition in the US, India, Thailand, Brazil, Egypt, and Nigeria.
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) is the incumbent broadcast rights holder for the FA Cup in India.
FA head of marketing Georgina Lewis said, “Worldwide interest in The Emirates FA Cup is greater than ever. The partnership with Twitter is vital to ensure the competition remains at the forefront of fan engagement and ensures that fans across the world have live access to some of the biggest fixtures, regardless of their daily schedule or location. This approach fits within our overriding strategy to be innovative in delivering experiences in line with how modern fans are consuming sports media and want to engage with the competition in the future.”
Twitter UK sports partnerships Bruna Zanin-Juresic added, “We are thrilled that fans around the world will have a new way to follow the Emirates FA Cup this season, directly through Twitter. The Football Association have always been incredibly innovative in their use of the platform, so it felt like a natural fit to partner with them to give fans unprecedented access to one of the most prestigious knockout competitions in global football.”
Outside of the registered Twitter service, clips of the biggest in-game moments and highlights packages, such as Goal of the Round, will also be promoted on the @EmiratesFACup Twitter feed and in relevant markets to push content to a broader audience.
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