The partnership will run across both the men’s and women’s Six Nations Tournaments
TikTok has extended its sports sponsorship strategy by agreeing to a three-year deal to sponsor the Six Nations rugby tournaments.
The agreement will run across the Women’s Six Nations, for which it will be the title partner as well as an official partner for the Guinness Six Nations and Autumn Nations Series through until 2023.
The Women’s Six Nations will add TikTok to its name for the duration of the deal as a result—the first time it has agreed such a partnership in its history and featuring teams from England, France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy.
In 2019, the platform agreed to a multi-year sponsorship in the U.S. with the NFL and last year it became a late sponsor of the delayed 2020 European soccer championships, agreeing a deal with the sport’s governing body to become a partner. It is also currently a sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which is ongoing, and has signed a partnership agreement with the Saudi First Division football league, reports The New Arab.
The partnership will aim to help develop the women’s game and drive further engagement and participation as it targets both new and existing fans of the sport, TikTok explained in a statement.
TikTok claims to have amassed over 5.1 billion views through its rugby content. This will be strengthened through each participating country committing to working with dedicated creators to enhance fan experience and delivering regular content in order to grow that audience.
Each rugby creator will be given be tasked with offering exclusive access to the game, its culture, its people and the major moments around the sport, while fans will be able to access content around the tournament and each nation’s own accounts.
Commenting on the partnership, Ben Morel, chief executive of Six Nations Rugby, said in a statement: “TikTok shares our ambitions for providing fans with the best possible experience and has the perfect platform for fans to access and engage with rugby throughout the year. Complementing this is the collective aim of giving the sport a global shop window to reach new and existing fans and put the likes of the Women’s game in front of more people.”
In-app activations relevant to the deal will include custom effects and hashtag challenges aimed at driving engagement around the sport’s fanbase.
Rich Waterworth, general manager for TikTok Europe, added: “The fast growth of sporting talent, fan communities, sports trends and commentary on TikTok makes the platform a compelling place to engage new and existing audiences for Six Nations Rugby, bringing the spirit and passion of these iconic tournaments to our diverse and creative community.”
The Guinness Six Nations will begin next week on February 5, while the TikTok Women’s Six Nations begins the following month on March 26.
