Despite Setbacks, Facebook in Streaming Game to Stay

Facebook has been slowly but steadily collecting the streaming rights to a range of sports programming, from college football to the World Surf League. And while the social media giant has experienced an occasional setback (e.g., losing streaming rights to National Football League games to Twitter in 2016 and to Amazon this year), its global reach, formidable financial resources and out-of-the-digital-box thinking when it comes to partnerships makes Facebook an attractive and competitive platform for over the top sports viewing for a wide variety of fans who prefer to watch sports on their mobile devices.

This article explores Facebook’s partnerships with the Chicago Cubs, the World Surf League and Major League Soccer, among many others, and why users’ engagement and trust in the platform makes it one to watch in the coming years in the category of live streaming sporting events.