Anyone in Nigeria, Nicaragua or Nepal with a good internet connection will be able to watch the Melbourne Cup live when Twitter streams the race to its global audience.
The social media giant is using Australia’s richest horse race to continue its push into live video, following its experiment with the US’ National Football League.
Twitter last month began broadcasting one NFL match a week with promising results, leading the Victorian Racing Club to approach the platform about showing its event on November 1.
VRC commercial operations general manager Nick Addison expects a boost in wagering but said that’s not the number one driver of the deal.
“For us, it’s been about expanding the audience and engaging new audiences,” he told AAP on Thursday.
“If they’re wagering then even better, but the entertainment perspective had been our key driver.”
“I’m not sure there are too many platforms on a global level than Twitter.”
The free one-hour package will be accessible worldwide except in the few countries where Twitter is blocked, including China.
Twitter Australia media partnership director Jonathan Harley said in a statement on Thursday that combining the international broadcast stream with live commentary from tweets will “create a one-screen experience … unlike any other”.
