The MLB is coming to TikTok — make sure to wipe the grease from the peanuts and Cracker Jacks before you scroll.
What happened: TikTok and MLB have entered an expanded content partnership that will create a hub within the app showing highlights, game updates, and “creator perspectives.” Interestingly, select creators will be given access to MLB’s archives to produce content.
The deal is similar to the partnership that TikTok inked with FIFA last month, which will create an in-app hub for this year’s World Cup.
Zoom out: Baseball is having a moment, generating new levels of interest that haven't been seen in years. While last year’s World Series may have ended in pain for us Jays fans, it was a worldwide smash hit. Game 7 was the most-watched MLB game globally since 1991.
This interest has trickled down to TikTok, where posts using #MLB grew nearly 60% last year and fan edits took off — could we interest you in a Vladdy Guerrero X The Cure mashup?
Why it matters: Younger viewers still enjoy sports but don’t necessarily want to watch in the traditional format (being glued to the TV screen for three straight hours). Instead, they’re seeking a “second screen” experience either to supplement viewing or get quick catch-ups.
Our take: Baseball could be the perfect sport to thrive on TikTok because, unlike most other major sports, it doesn’t move horizontally. While large swaths of the action are cut off in football, hockey, or basketball highlights when formatted for 16:9 vertical video, a standard MLB at-bat doesn’t really lose much when trimmed from a widescreen TV broadcast.—QH
