Twitter is really ramping up its big-brand partnerships as it looks to gain traction in what could prove a huge market for the social network.
As reported on IPL20.com, Twitter is going in deep with the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket, which is gearing up to bat-off on Wednesday, April 3.
First up, Twitter has launched a new Discover Page, designed to encourage IPL fans around the world to sign up for Twitter, including following their favourite cricketers, teams, personalities, celebrities and more.
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Also, remember earlier this year, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started encouraging celebrities to tweet during the Oscars? No? Well, for the 85th Academy Awards, a new feature was launched to let stars snap photos of themselves backstage, and using what Twitter called a “Magic Mirror” it sent them out via the academy’s official Twitter account.
Well, now this application will be used for the first time throughout an entire professional sports tournament season for the IPL. The Mirror will encourage cricketers and celebs to tweet “candid” pictures through the official @IPL account.
Twitter on IPL
Additionally, Twitter will be featured extensively via the official IPL website, including the Team Hashtag Battle on the live ‘Match Centre’. Both teams will have official hashtags and, as the teams play for points on the pitch, fans can indulge in a battle of hashtags to see who proves most popular. Certainly, this is one way to get IPL teams trending globally and raise its profile.
This section will also host the Live Tweet Counter, which rolls on with each match-related tweets, or the Pepsi IPL 2013.
Other features include Top 10 Trends which ranks the Pepsi IPL 2013 teams based on Twitter activity, The Loyalty Corner where fans can announce their allegiance to a team on Twitter, and Pepsi IPL 2013 Conversation which lets fans broadcast why they are excited about the IPL 2013.
Twitter will also be shifting beyond the confines of the Web, with the Tweet Counter and Team Hashtag Battle integrated into TV. Viewers will see a real-time tweet-data stream during live broadcasts.
“It has been our constant endeavour to make the fans feel that they are a vital part of the IPL, and not just passive spectators on the outside,” says Rajeev Shukla, IPL Chairman, regarding the new tie-up.
This isn’t the first sporting partnership Twitter has signed up to. The social network is also bringing live commentary of the Barclays English Premier League (not in Europe) through an embedded radio player on TalkSport’s Twitter accounts – in English, Spanish and Chinese. With the IPL hook-up, Twitter is really looking to firmly embed itself as the go-to platform for conversations around big events.
The Pepsi IPL 2013 will be played from 3 April to 26 May, featuring nine teams and 76 matches.
Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock
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