Earlier this week, social media platform Reddit announced it would begin a partnership program with several leading major sports leagues, in an aim to bring more content to the platform and create more opportunities for advertisers.
The deal is cosigned by some of the biggest brands in sports entertainment, including:
- The National Football League
- The National Basketball Association (NBA)
- Major League Baseball (MLB)
- The PGA TOUR
- The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR)
The latest move by the forum social network comes from the fact that major sports leagues invest heavilty in engagement on the platform, utilizing premium features like Reddit Pro.
Furthermore, Reddit statistics show that sports communities are among the platform's fastest-growing audiences.
As part of the inititiative, fan-made communities called subreddits will also now have access to exclusive content, marking a huge step for both Reddit users and advertisers.
This includes game highlights, player AMAs ("Ask Me Anything" interviews), and other special content during major sporting events.
Advertisers on the platform also stand to benefit from the program, with Reddit citing an alcoholic beverage brand that "saw a +11.3 point lift in purchase intent, a +9.4 point lift in brand favorability, and a 5.9 point lift in awareness" by launching an activation that coincided with premium content from the NFL.
Reddit and the NFL
Sports leagues have maintained official accounts on the platform for several years, posting content to relevant subreddits.
The NFL in particular has had an active presence on Reddit since 2019, making it the platform's longest-standing sports partner.
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A testament to Reddit's value as a community, the league grew its dedicated subreddit r/NFL by over 3 million subscribers during the 2023-24 season.
Last year, the NFL achieved several milestones on Reddit, hosting its first ever Live Pro Bowl session, which allowed Reddit users to ask questions live during a game.
"Building on five years of incredible collaboration, the NFL believes in the power of Reddit to enhance the fan experience," NFL VP of Business Development and Strategic Investments Brent Lawton said in a statement to Reddit.
Lawton continues, saying that by renewing NFL's partnership with Reddit, it could continue engaging with the community's growing NFL fan base, providing "powerful content to advertisers looking for an NFL audience."
The partnership comes at an opportune time for the company, after it experienced a successful first quarter earnings report that exceeded expectations.
Reddit has also experienced a surge in visitors since the company went public, doubling in popularity on Google between 2019 and 2024.
By partnering with Reddit, major sports leagues are sure to experience significant brand growth this year due to increased engagement on social media.
