UPDATED 09:45 EDT / JANUARY 29 2015

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg NEWS

Facebook takes on Twitter with real-time Super Bowl ads

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook Inc. has taken notice of the spike in social media buzz that occurs during big events like the Super Bowl, and this year the social network is taking the initiative by creating a live feed page dedicated to real-time coverage of the game.

“From kickoff to the game’s final seconds, Super Bowl XLIX is likely to be one of the most talked-about moments on Facebook this year and we hope this new Super Bowl experience will bring people, athletes and journalists together in one ongoing conversation,” wrote Facebook’s Alex Himel and Dan Reed.

The Super Bowl Facebook page is already running with live updates leading up to game day. The page works like a specialized news feed that shows posts by your Facebook friends and real-time reactions from other users talking about the Super Bowl.

The new page features an “In the Story” section, which will show posts made by the NFL, the participating teams, NBC and “other public voices.” During the game, the Super Bowl page will have live scores and will showcase video and other media from the game. Fans will also be able to discuss the game live using the update “watching Super Bowl XLIX.”

Dan Reed, Facebook’s Head of Global Sports Partnerships, spoke to the Associated Press about Facebook’s coverage of the Super Bowl.

“We have been the second-screen, real-time audience,” Reed said. “This Trending Super Bowl is part of a broader effort to better surface the great conversations happening in real time around live sporting events.”

Live coverage has long been one of Twitter Inc.’s defining features, but now Facebook is competing with the microblog to become the hub of real-time conversation, as well as a platform for live targeted advertising.

“Twitter has owned the mantel of being a real-time platform but the sophistication of Facebook’s ad targeting is unparalleled,” Noah Mallin, head of social for North America at media buying agency MEC, told Reuters. “That is a big change.”

Facebook will allow advertisers to target users in real-time during the Super Bowl based on their likes, shares and conversations. Users will see auto-play videos and other ads in their live news feed during the game, so this year there will be no escaping Super Bowl ads.

 


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU