Getty Images
The Australian Football League (AFL) has agreed a multi-year partnership with short-form social video platform TikTok.
The deal will see the launch of an official Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) account as the league grows to 18 with the addition of four new teams for the 2022 season – the Sydney Swans, Hawthorn Hawks, Essendon Bombers, and Port Adelaide Power.
Since launching in 2020, the AFL has acquired 220,000 followers on TikTok and with the addition of the AFLW channel the platform is seeking to continue its push into women’s sport. The past 18 months has seen TikTok strike dedicated content with the likes of rugby union’s Women’s Six Nations, and the 2022 Women’s Euro international soccer tournament.
In addition to the AFLW channel, the partnership will provide original content for AFL fans, such as behind-the-scenes and player-focused clips.
“The AFL continues to grow in Australia as does TikTok, especially with kids and families, so we are excited to partner together and harness the potential to engage new generations of fans around the game,” said Kylie Rogers, AFL executive general manager of customer and commercial.
“Short-form mobile video is one of the most engaging and effective formats commercially. TikTok’s power and diverse reach will allow us to deliver fresh and engaging content to our already passionate fanbase.
“Sport is a hugely popular category on the platform and with over one billion users worldwide, TikTok will allow us to grow our game locally and abroad.”
Jonathon Oake, sport business development at TikTok Asia Pacific (APAC), added: “TikTok is a vibrant hub of sporting content for millions of users across Australia, and this new partnership will deliver more AFL content to the platform than ever before.
“We see enormous user appetite and growth potential for the AFL in reaching fans across the world via short-form content.”
