Threads venturing into the realm of live sports updates, commencing with NBA basketball. This initiative mirrors a similar strategy employed by another platform, X, back in 2017 when it first introduced live sports scores.
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Introducing Live NBA Scores for Real-Time Engagement
Popular social network Threads is stepping onto the court of live sports updates, starting with NBA basketball. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, has announced the platform's new feature, aiming to inject a dose of real-time excitement into user feeds.
This move promises to enhance user engagement and provide instant access to game scores. Users can now simply search for their favorite teams during a game to get up-to-date scores, and even check game start times beforehand.
Accompanying each score are the logos of the two competing teams, providing users with a visual reference. Clicking on these logos directs users to a dedicated conversation thread related to the respective team. The live scores feature is currently undergoing testing, adding to the platform's evolving array of offerings.
Recently, Threads and Instagram made a strategic shift away from recommending political content, opting instead to prioritize sports-related content to foster a dynamic and real-time atmosphere on the platform.
In line with this shift, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has been actively engaging with NBA enthusiasts for several months, recognizing the vibrant community of basketball fans on Threads as an ideal representation of the platform's desired content.
A spokesperson for Threads shared with Engadget that basketball has emerged as one of the most popular topics among users, with NBA-related threads emerging as some of the most active sports communities on the app.
Taking a Shot at Sports
Back in 2017, Mashable reported that Twitter rolled out a new feature across its apps, presenting users with a carousel of events at the top of their feed. The "happening now" events were personalized for each user, tailored to their interests and the accounts they followed.
Twitter's primary focus was on sports, offering updates on football, baseball, soccer, hockey, and basketball games. However, the company mentioned plans to expand coverage to other topics in the future.
It's evident that NBA discussions thrive on X, where NBA Twitter remains a dominant force, driving extensive coverage and dialogue surrounding the professional basketball league. It appears that Meta is strategically aiming to tap into this influential sphere.
Meanwhile, Apple has also entered the sports arena with its own venture. The Sports iPhone app, developed in-house, provides real-time statistics for various major leagues, including the NBA, and displays live score updates on the lock screen during games.
This week, Threads has been making waves across various fronts. In addition to unveiling a new feature for fine-tuning algorithms through left and right swipes on posts, the platform has announced a beta test enabling users to share content on Mastodon and other fediverse services.
