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- Each home union to have dedicated TikTok creators
- Rugby union content on platform has generated over 5.1bn views
- Six Nations also announces Breitling timekeeping partnership
TikTok has signed a four-year partnership with the Six Nations international rugby union tournament, which will see the social video platform become the first ever title sponsor of the women’s championship.
The new agreement, which runs until 2025, also sees TikTok become an official partner of the men’s Six Nations and the Autumn Nations Series of Test matches.
TikTok says that its Six Nations rugby union content has already generated more than 5.1 billion views and that it will use the platform to increase exposure for the women’s game.
The partnership will see each of the six competing unions use dedicated TikTok rugby creators to produce content around the Six Nations, with both the official tournament and team TikTok accounts used for distribution. The platform will also introduce custom effects and hashtag challenges designed to boost engagement around its rugby union content.
“The significance of our partnership with TikTok cannot be understated,” said Ben Morel, chief executive of Six Nations Rugby.
“The very first title partner in the history of the Women’s Six Nations championship, as well as support for the Guinness Six Nations and Autumn Nations Series, is something to be incredibly excited about.
“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.”
Rich Waterworth, general manager of 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.
“We’re especially delighted to be the title sponsor of what is now the TikTok Women’s Six Nations; as a platform that’s built around inclusion, we are passionate about giving an equal footing to men’s and women’s sport.”
Elsewhere, the Six Nations has also signed a three-year partnership with Breitling which sees the Swiss luxury watchmaker become the official timing partner of the men’s and women’s international rugby union tournament.
The deal sees Breitling become the first Six Nations timing partner to also sponsor the women’s tournament. Breitling’s contract also covers the Autumn Nations Series and 2023 Rugby World Cup warmup matches.
The 2022 men’s Six Nations kicks off on 5th February, with Ireland set to host defending champions Wales in the opening fixture. The women’s championship will get underway on 26th March, running until 30th April.
