New York – The most recent fashionable influencer on Tiktok’s “For You” web page could also be Scroller’s favourite tennis participant.
At the least that is what ATP expects.
The Governing Physique for Males’s Skilled Tennis introduced on Tuesday that it’ll accomplice with Tiktok to develop extra tennis content material on the platform and improve engagement.
There are two partnerships. One of many targets identified is participant engagement aimed toward build up followers on the platform and offering tennis followers with entry to “behind the scenes” and “unique behind the scenes.”
One other aim is to create the Tennis Creator Community, an initiative that can assist present non-athlete creators create Tiktok content material at ATP tour occasions.
“This strategic content material partnership with Tiktok is predicated on present developments with audiences, placing ATP on the forefront of the intersection of tradition and sports activities, creating discoverable content material that will likely be lower in each gamers and tournaments.”
Presently, solely 20 of the highest 100 gamers in ATP are current on Tiktok. A few of these 20 have grow to be verifiable stars on the platform. Carlos Alkaraz has 1.1 million followers, Novak Djokovic has 666,000 and Ben Shelton has 448,000. They share the whole lot, from behind the scenes to tips on how to watch tournaments to clips from mowing the garden and studying calligraphy.
The ATP Tiktok account itself has practically 600,000 followers.
This partnership is a recognition of the flame developments in sports activities media. That is trustworthy, behind the scenes content material created by athletes. Its recognition and virality is on the rise, and it seems in all places, from Tiktok accounts to podcast studios.
In July, Minnesota Hyperlinks gamers Courtney Williams and Nate Shaheedemann gathered a whole lot of 1000’s of viewers and followers after stay streaming WNBA All-Star Weekend, events and extra, with what they referred to as the “Stud Bods.” The duo is now turning momentum into official merchandise and new stardom.
Athlete Host podcasts with an hour of informal dialog from star athletes have additionally grow to be headline makers. Chiefs tight finish “New Heights” is clear, however reveals like Indiana Feverguard’s Sophie Cunningham’s “Present Me Shoums” spiked related engagement as hosts present candid perception into life past the sport.
ATP goals to capitalize on its surge with behind-the-scenes content material on this partnership.
“(It encourages extra gamers to share their tales,” mentioned Rolo Goldstove, head of Tiktok’s world sports activities partnership, “and it’ll spark extra tennis cultural actions in Tiktok.”