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WNBA Twitter live stream a successful start to a 3-year partnership

By Russell Steinberg

PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 14: The Phoenix Mercury huddle during the game against the Dallas Wings on May 14, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 14: The Phoenix Mercury huddle during the game against the Dallas Wings on May 14, 2017 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Twitter and the WNBA broke new ground on Sunday when it streamed the Dallas Wings’ 68-58 win over the Phoenix Mercury. The game, which was the season opener for both teams, marked the first time ever that Twitter has streamed a women’s professional sport live.

It was also the first of 20 games to be streamed on Twitter per season in each of the next three years, per the terms of the WNBA and Twitter’s partnership, announced earlier this month.

As expected from a first run, there were some hiccups. Nevertheless, the stream provided a unique viewer experience that allowed fans to not only watch, but read real-time analysis, thoughts from other fans, and see instant highlights, all on the same screen.

Here’s how it looked:

For a league that’s eager to grow its audience, it was a major step forward. Over 1.1 million unique users tuned in for the event, with an average minute audience of 62,459.

The stream was crisp and never froze, operating flawlessly from the second quarter (when they finally got the scoreboard to show) through the end of the game. Both teams integrated their in-game tweets into the live feed to the right of the video.

That allowed viewers to see moments like this, without ever having to take their eyes off the screen.

Needless to say, before the game was over, the positive reviews came pouring in:

The next Twitter broadcast will be on Friday when the Mercury visit the San Antonio Stars. Game time is set for 8 p.m. ET. You can view the full schedule here. Future games can be found at wnba.twitter.com.

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