American football league the NFL has signed a multi-year extension to its partnership with social media platform Snapchat.
Under the expanded deal, which, according to the Recode website, will cover the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the NFL will become the first professional sports league to have a featured channel on Snapchat’s Discover service. The league’s NFL Media division will programme a range of content such as headlines, hot topics, trends and behind-the-scenes videos.
Snapchat’s Live Story feature will also document every NFL game during the upcoming campaign, including the season-ending Super Bowl showpiece. Further Live Stories will be produced to document events including the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. The Live Stories will comprise both fan-submitted Snaps and the NFL's own content.
The NFL and Snapchat will give companies the chance to advertise on the Live Story and Discover platforms. In addition, bespoke geofilters will be added to Snapchat, enabling users to apply unique art to their Snaps depending on which NFL stadium, practice facility or venue they are at. Geofilters will be provided for all 32 NFL clubs.
The extension follows the NFL’s partnership with Snapchat for the 2015 season, during which more than 70m people around the world viewed Snapchat’s Live Stories surrounding NFL games and events.