By Nicholas Creely
It is truly becoming the generation of social media – and if the WNBL’s highly successful Facebook live steaming is anything to go by, there could be a new and exciting way to watch sports that previously have struggled to make it to television.
In Sunday 20 November’s Melbourne derby between the Jayco Dandenong Rangers and Melbourne Boomers, a staggering 394,000 Facebook users were reached, making it the most watched video ever produced by the WNBL.
Although the Rangers eventually got the chocolates 78-69, there was a significant amount of interest for both sides, not only at the game, but on social media.
It has always been a highly intriguing rivalry between the two Melbourne-based franchises, but the problem of finding a way to reach the game to a wider audience has been a lingering issue for the league.
It is anticipates that the number will continue to rise as replays of the games are made available on the WNBL’s Facebook page.
The WNBL will also live stream other games this season in a bid to appeal to broadcasters.
In conjunction with these promising statistics, the stream received more than 600 engagements, which includes comments and shares, with a total of 9300 total views and over 8200 unique views.
Head of WNBL Sally Phillips was ecstatic at the numbers, indicating is a step forward for the competition in an overall sense.
“These numbers are extremely positive for the WNBL moving forward as we aim to engage new corporate partners for the league,” Phillips said.
“I want to thank Sportscast Australia for their help in setting up what was an excellent stream, Michele Timms and Steven King for their expert commentary and for all the WNBL fans that tuned in.
“We will continue to work quickly and diligently in our goal to bring consistently produced live streams for the rest of the season, while not losing sight of the ultimate goal to return the WNBL to TV.”
The Rangers currently sit second on the WNBL tables after an impressive first third of the season.
