Facebook is on an ongoing mission to become a hub for all things social and communication, and its latest step is the Facebook Sports Stadium, which allows users to follow games and commentary around them.
Facebook Sport Stadium is the latest feature of the social network that includes play by play coverage of sports matches, alongside comments from a user’s Facebook friends, analysts and experts, along with other information. Facebook hopes to capitalize on the fact that sports are essentially one of the most talked about topics on various social media, and by bringing together both the elements of sports and social media, Facebook can increase user engagement. This would be especially useful during live events.
Twitter is not close to Facebook, which claims 1.5 billion monthly users, but it still remains one of the most effective way to follow live events online. The 140-character limit and a fast flowing chronological updates contribute to this. Snapchat also covers some sporting events with its Live Stories feature. Facebook’s timeline is by contrast, far less suited to real time, which is what Facebook Sport Stadium aims to change.
The feature will initially be available in US, where it is covering American football games, and its currently available for users of the Facebook for iOS app. It will soon support other sports around the world and expand the feature to more devices soon.
