The audio showdown continues among social networks, where Twitter appears to have found favor with the National Football League. In a blow to Clubhouse, the NFL has announced that it will host audio rooms on the social network throughout the 2021 season, using Twitter Spaces.
America's National Football League has agreed to host more than 20 audio rooms throughout the 2021 season using Twitter's Spaces function, according to an official statement.
The collaboration sees Twitter form its first partnership with a sports league to host sponsored Twitter Spaces: "With more than 20 Spaces planned for the upcoming 2021 NFL season, the NFL is the first sports league to partner with Twitter to offer sponsored Twitter Spaces, giving both brands and fans new opportunities to connect and engage with live NFL audio," the statement explains.
These events will give the social network's users the chance to tune into Spaces featuring "current NFL players and other NFL talent," according to the statement. Video recaps of the best touchdowns, other highlights, and Twitter Votes are just some of the things the NFL outlines as part of its partnership with Twitter, as it seeks to foster engagement with fans on the social network at a time when Gen Z is showing the least interest in the Super Bowl. "In addition to fueling the timeline with the best moments from each game in real time, we'll be doubling down on innovation by leveraging our live audio format, 'Spaces', to bring fans even closer to the game," said TJ Adeshola, head of US sports partnerships at Twitter.
The news may not be quite so pleasing for Clubhouse. The audio application that was all the rage at the beginning of the year had previously managed to seduce the NFL in April for covering the 2021 Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible players for the season.
Twitter launched its new Spaces feature, May 3. Audio has become a key field for social networks since the rise of Clubhouse, with virtually all platforms now getting involved, such as Facebook and Spotify.
