Over 97,000 football fans subscribed to the 2019 Emirates FA Cup direct messaging service, delivered using Grabyo.

The English Football Association (FA) grew its Twitter following for the FA Cup, its showpiece domestic competition, by more than 70% during the 2018/19 tournament by delivering a fan-first video strategy that targeted Twitter users at home and abroad.

Ahead of the tournament, the FA partnered with Twitter, Input Media and Grabyo to develop a new subscription service, via the Twitter app, for match highlights. The service was available in 12 territories outside of the UK, including the USA, India, France, Nigeria, Brazil and Indonesia.

Over 97,000 fans subscribed to the Emirates FA Cup’s dedicated Twitter DM chatbot. Subscribers were sent up to eight real-time video clips per game, and an additional match highlights package after each match. Clips were tailored to each international audience with localized languages.

Delivered using Grabyo’s video integration with Twitter, fans received clips from matches involving the top six teams in England – Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City. The FA sent over 100 clips to each subscriber, achieving over 1.5 million dedicated subscriber views.

The Twitter DM Chabot helped the FA to continue expanding its Emirates FA Cup fanbase abroad. Engagement peaks when events are live and by ensuring international fans could keep up with their favorite teams in real-time, The FA captured a vast international audience and demonstrated remarkable growth in one season.

The Twitter DM chatbot was part of a wider real-time video strategy that the FA delivered to fans worldwide. The FA also used Grabyo’s Studio platform to clip, edit and share highlights moments after they happened.

The video strategy achieved over 300 million views and over 33 million engagements across the Emirates FA Cup social channels. This, combined with the new chatbot subscription service, led to a 70% uplift in followers throughout the season.

🇧🇷 | @GabrielJesus33 doubles @ManCity’s lead!#EmiratesFACupFinal pic.twitter.com/BCdAgLiGz9

— The Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 18, 2019

Grabyo’s direct integrations with the major social media platforms makes it easy to deliver engaging live video experiences. Consumers want to access content anytime and anywhere, with fans watching video most often on a smartphone.

Live sport remains one of the last pillars of the live TV viewing experience. Fans want to watch full matches, but demand for content has changed. Watching sport is a shared experience and fans want to be involved in the conversation around pivotal moments. Offering a second screen experience during these events allows audiences to relive the best moments while interacting with other fans in real-time.

Multi-device viewing is a baseline expectation from consumers. Broadcasters, rights holders and publishers that deliver accessible, quality experiences will capture the biggest audiences.