Why This Year’s Superbowl Is A Social First
It’s Superbowl Sunday! Today, over 100 million people in the United States will come together to watch the Superbowl on TV. About 68,000 fans will be cheering from their seats at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It doesn’t stop there — this year’s Superbowl will be reaching a larger audience than ever before.
For the first time in Superbowl history, NBC will be streaming the game live, allowing the public to legally watch the game online. Added features to the stream that you won’t get to see on the TV broadcast include multiple camera angles, exclusive clips, real-time social updates, live statistics, and the ability to control your own instant replays. Verizon will also be streaming the game through an app to Verizon phones.
During and after the game, millions more will watch and re-watch the ads on T.V., laptops, tablets, and phones. The ads will be available on countless websites and via Hulu, YouTube, free mobile apps, and NBC’s Google+ Hangout discussing the ads the next day. You’ll see the best (and the worst) ads shared virally through Facebook and Twitter. The countless discussions, debates, comments, and stories exchanged socially add yet another dimension to the Superbowl experience.
We’re thrilled that the most-watched sporting event in America will be livestreamed, setting a precedent globally for future events like this one. The online stream will bring public eyes closer to the actual event and give people easy access to live chats and conversations.
When millions of people want to come together for a live event, there is no better way to capture and build that energy and momentum than through creating these meaningful experiences in social media. Cheers to a truly social Superbowl!
Post-Game Update:
Twitter’s official account just tweeted this fun fact: during the final 3 minutes of tonight’s game, there were an average of 10,000 tweets per second about the Superbowl. The last three minutes were so intense, you’d expect fans to be glued to their screens.
1.8 million tweets during that time makes a statement about how people want to share their thoughts and be part of the conversation, right as each tweet-worthy moment is happening.
