For sports fans engaged in the Twitter sphere, the online platform is the ultimate hub for discussions, news, and entertainment. Over the years, Twitter has grown immensely. And much of the company’s success can be attributed to football betting.
Twitter Attributes Success To Football
In October, the company reported a 41% year-to-year increase in advertising revenue. NFL content contributed to over 51% of all video streams on the platform, making American football one of the site’s main priorities.
Twitter corporate figures have been catching onto the trend for quite some time, spurring action to accommodate this margin of users. For many years, the company has played around with streaming features for some of the NFL’s biggest games.
Up until 2016, the company hosted a “Thursday Night Football” stream with live games accessible directly through the app. But pulling these full-length streams hasn’t hurt Twitter’s sports engagement.
Twitter has continued its partnership with the NFL to bring users exclusive content like Twitter Spaces and live audio. The decision has enabled users to refer to the site as a primary source for NFL content.
This overwhelming success has a lot to do with the recent shift towards domestic sports betting in the United States. Since 2019, more than half of the US has welcomed legal sports betting in some capacity.
Reps Say Sports Betting Is In The Cards
In light of the changing sentiments towards athletic event wagering, it seems that Twitter may become more focused on the betting side of sports.
When asked whether the group would look into sports betting David Herman, a US Sports Partnerships liaison for Twitter, said the following:
“We think Twitter is a platform that plays well into gambling-related conversations. We’re live. We’re real time. That’s what betting is. Betting and gambling have long been a core component of sports conversations on Twitter. Now things are legalized, more sports betting brands can be advertisers on Twitter than in the past and as leagues are partners with official betting operators, it’s getting more visibility and exposure on a daily basis.”
The platform already has advertising deals with some of the biggest commercial betting entities in the US. It seems that the company is positioning itself to have a greater role in the betting process.
However, the company remains wary of taking any major plunges into the world of gambling. Herman has stated that the company’s biggest reason for holding out is the fact that several other states have yet to welcome sports betting legislation.
Corporate Takeover Coming In Quick
But those states will be sure to follow over the next few years, especially as they watch neighboring states rake in millions in tax revenue.
It won’t be a surprise to see more major corporations dip their toes into the waters of the betting world. The industry is incredibly lucrative, even bringing “family-oriented” companies like Walt Disney Inc. to their knees.
This may be the first we’ve heard of sports betting on Twitter but it’s safe to assume it won’t be the last.
Source: Front Office Sports