It’s the race that stops the nation. The Emirates Melbourne Cup and it will be delivered directly to your Twitter feed thanks to a new partnership between Twitter and the Victoria Racing Club.
It’s another video heavy move for Twitter who has been toying with live streaming video. In recent times, Twitter has live streamed NFL Games, the US Presidential debates and even NBA pre-game shows which will continue through the 2016/17 season. This is the first sporting live stream for Twitter in Australia though.
The Melbourne Cup will be broadcast on Twitter globally, so for Aussies and punters around the world there’s no geo-restrictions on viewing this massive event.
The Channel Seven produced broadcast will stream on the 1st of November starting from 2:30PM AEDT and follow the pre-race excitement as well as the great race, and then post-race analysis. Hopefully no lag will occur between the race, the actual TV broadcast and the Twitter stream, with a 5-minute race not the best place for a couple of minutes of buffering.
Jonathan Harley, Twitter Australia’s Director of Media Partnerships, said:
Twitter is where the world of sport is happening every single day, and Australian sporting events don’t come more iconic than the Emirates Melbourne Cup. Live streaming the race that stops a nation with the VRC and the Seven Network, combined with the live commentary and conversation on Twitter, will create a one-screen experience at the centre of the action unlike any other.
The live stream will be viewable on any mobile, tablet or desktop through the Twitter app or browser, whether or not you’re logged into Twitter or not. Twitter has also released Live Streaming apps for these recent video broadcasts, however they’re in limited reach with the apps only released for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Microsoft’s Xbox One, and Twitter is keeping quiet on any plans for apps on any other devices like Chromecast or Android TV.
There will be coverage throughout the Melbourne Cup Carnival with the @FlemingtonVRC Twitter account will Tweeting video clips of the concluding stages of every race, as well as on the field fashions, celebrity sightings and looks around the venue itself, and a range of exclusive behind the scenes action.
