NewFronts: E! News Launching Live-Streamed Show on Twitter

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
last updated

Social platform also has deals with Fox Sports, WNBA

In this photo illustration, the microblogging social network Twitter logo is displayed on the screen of a smartphone on December 26, 2019 in Paris, France.
(Image credit: Chesnot/Getty Images)

NBCUniversal's E! News will be launching a new live-streamed show on Twitter that will cover programming in all forms of TV.

At its NewFront presentation Wednesday, Twitter said the new E! show would be called While You Were Streaming. It will be hosted by Danielle Roby and look at the tweet-worthy moments in series like Stranger Things, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Real Housewives.

The World Cup will be coming to Twitter through a deal with Fox Sports. Fox Sports will produce pre- and post-match programming for Twitter. 

As part of the deal, sponsorship and advertising opportunities around Fox Sports’ content will be offered, driving promotion to FIFA World Cup matches and coverage across Fox, FS1, the FoxSports App and FoxSports.com.

“We are excited to expand our collaboration with Twitter by doing what we do best in leading the way with innovative sports coverage and original digital content,” said Edward Hartman, senior VP, digital partnerships & wagering, at Fox Sports. “These new offerings will bring fans the FIFA World Cup experience wherever they are by keeping them engaged with a taste of the excitement, while encouraging them to Tweet and watch the rest of the match on Fox Sports.”

Also: NewFronts Agenda Set With ‘Stream On’ Theme for Event

"Collaborating with Fox Sports to bring fans the opportunity to preview match action on Twitter during both the Men's and Women's World Cup is something we've never done before," added TJ Adeshola, head of global content partnerships at Twitter. "We're thrilled to bring this exclusive content to the timeline."

In addition Twitter will be getting content from Revolt for the first time. Shows including Drink Champs, a popular hip hop podcast, The Crew League, which showcases fan favorite artists going head to head on the basketball court, Assets Over Liabilities, a financial literacy series, which follows the daily lives of business savvy artists, and Revolt Black News Weekly, the always-on coverage of issues happening in Black communities.

Twitter also announced a multi-year extension of their six-year relationship with the WNBA. Twelve of the league's games will appear live on Twitter during the 2022 season. The WNBA will also host regular events on Twitter Spaces. ■

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.