Facebook muscling in on Twitter’s turf with real-time Super Bowl hub
Facebook is hosting its very own Super Bowl party this Sunday and the whole world is invited.
With the aim of rivalling Twitter’s traditionally strong real-time coverage, Facebook has launched a Super Bowl Experience page ahead of the showdown between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks in Arizona.
Photos and videos from the stadium will appear, while the page will also include posts from the NFL and the broadcaster NBC, as well as analysts, players and teams. We’d also imagine a selection of the infamous Super Bowl commercials will be there too.
In order to take part, viewers will have to add the ‘watching Super Bowl XLIV’ when making their posts.
Even if you’d like to avoid the Super Bowl this Sunday and take solace in your Facebook feed, the social network has designs to keep you involved. For example, a post reflecting your disinterest in the game is likely to trigger auto-playing adverts in the news feed.
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“From kickoff to the game’s final seconds,” Facebook wrote, “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.”
Facebook enjoyed some success with its World Cup hubs last summer, as did Twitter, so it’ll be interesting where social media fans spend most of their time this weekend.