Just a few short days ago, UFC and Snapchat announced a multi-year partnership in which Snapchat will cover a selection of UFC events through its ‘Live’ section. The news comes shortly before the much anticipated UFC International Fight Week, which will run from Tuesday July 5th to Sunday July 10th.
As would perhaps be expected, the partnership will commence at the UFC 200: Cormier vs Jones 2 anchor event on Saturday July 9th in Las Vegas. For those lucky enough to have tickets for the selected events, fans will be able to actively contribute to the live story with their own pictures and videos.
Following UFC 200, live stories will next be available for the UFC 202: McGregor vs. Diaz 2 fight on Saturday, August 20th in Las Vegas and UFC 205 on Saturday, November 12 in New York.
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Michael Mossholder, UFC Executive Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships, is hopeful that the partnership will enhance the experience for fans. “Collaborating with Snapchat gives us a great opportunity to align our partners with exciting live content that was previously not accessible to our fans.”
His UFC colleague and Chief Content Officer, Marshall Zelaznik, goes further. “We’re dedicated to supplying access to our content through the platforms that are relevant to our lives and producing global Live Stories is another way we’re consistently engaging with our fans.”
With over 46 million followers across all social media platforms, the UFC’s emphasis on fan interaction is perhaps unsurprising. It is, after all, a global brand which has recently rocketed into the public consciousness. Stars such as Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey and Nate Diaz have propelled it to new heights, and, clearly, it is aiming to utilize social media to cement its place.
With the number of live Snapchat stories already active for large events and the popularity of MMA, the partnership seems like a logical union for both parties. At the very least, it will certainly entail a more cordial relationship than the clashes inside the octagon.