MUMBAI: Starsports.com and Twitter have evolved their ongoing strategic partnership. Twitter users will now be able to directly view Starsports.com videos in-stream, without leaving Twitter. This is a first of its kind integration for a TV brand in India.
This is yet another step forward for the broadcaster to create a stronger sports experience on digital. As part of the partnership, whenever a link to Starsports.com is tweeted, Twitter users on mobile will have the option to download the Starsports.com App. Earlier this year, @starsportsindia also became one of the first ‘handles’ that viewers could follow through Twitter’s SMS service and choose to receive tweets from the account as texts. Star Sports also regularly leads innovative broadcast integration of Twitter to fuel social TV experiences, as has been evidenced during this year's Women's Cricket World Cup, Super Fight League, BCCI International matches where fans have been encouraged to follow, tweet and more.
Twitter India market director Rishi Jaitly said, “Twitter is the world's leading, real-time information network where users consume content that is live, public, conversational and mobile. In India, Twitter has brought our users closer to the best of national and international sport. We applaud Starsports.com for embracing the Twitter platform in this way.”
World over, sports is a key driver of social conversations. The strategic partnership with Twitter is a step in transforming the sports landscape on social media. Starsports.com was launched in June creating India’s first multi-sport destination on digital, with a live video experience that gives the fan complete control of his viewing experience, including a video timeline that allows him the ability to watch exciting moments of the game in an easy and intuitive fashion. Starsport’s launch campaign hashtag #GetOverTV trended worldwide during its launch, establishing Twitter as a key medium to engage with its core followers. The network’s handle @starsportsindia, which was started earlier this year, already has close to 1.5 lakh followers. It is amongst the most influential accounts in media in the country.
Star India head of digital business Ajit Mohan said in a release, “Starsports.com is the leading multi-sports destination on digital in India. We are keen to continue to engage the most ardent sports fans in the country and our partnership with Twitter is a continuation of that commitment. Making these videos available for easy consumption will dramatically improve the nature of the social conversation around sports in India.”
The in-stream video service will be first rolled out for videos that form a part of the Sachin Memory Project - a unique initiative by Starsports.com to commemorate the little master’s retirement. Over a 100 curated videos dating back to the 1980s will be made available as part of this initiative on a timeline that marks how his career has evolved, even as the world changed around him.
