HBO has established a dominant presence in the social space for the sport of boxing, leading the way for athletes, networks, promoters, journalists, and other insiders to follow. 2012 was a year of major growth for HBO Boxing social platforms, engaging existing fans and discovering and educating new ones every day of the year. While boxing may be considered a niche sport, HBO has been instrumental in helping to transition the boxing industry into one that is heavily reliant upon social media. Twitter is a major haven for boxing fans and HBO effectively uses the medium to bring the boxing world closer together while simultaneously finding new fans. HBO’s boxing experts live tweet fights from @HBOBoxing, providing fans with the latest action updates. @HBOBoxing helps link fighters with existing and potential fans while positioning HBO as the connective tissue. Fan predictions, questions and opinions are often solicited to empower “boxing-heads" and recruit them as ambassadors of the sport. Those who weigh-in are often rewarded with highly coveted items such as gloves signed by high profile fighters. HBO brought fighter/fan social connections to the next level in 2012 with a series of innovative social experiences on HBO Connect and live on-the-ground fight coverage. The HBO Social Media Team provided unprecedented support for Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4, uniting fans and partners to position it as a must-see fight between two of the world’s greatest boxers. Fans shared photos of themselves “Flashing their 4," showing support for #TeamPacquiao or #TeamMarquez and were rewarded with signed gloves and posters. The @HBOBoxing Instagram profile launched during Pacquiao/Marquez 4 fight week and gave fans exclusive “behind the velvet rope" access to the fighters and production. Live Q&As at HBO Connect linked fans to Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, Freddie Roach and Jim Lampley and a fight prediction “Tweet Battle" displayed real-time results and aggregated fan conversation. The dedicated HBO Sports YouTube channel provides fans with engaging, shareable video content which drives views and subscribers. The most popular videos include Greatest Hits, Highlights, Under The Lights, Face Off, previews and full episodes. GetGlue engages TV enthusiasts and helps drive conversation on fight nights and Sports program premieres. The GetGlue presence found Facebook and Twitter users checking into their every match on the network and broadcasting their actions to their social followings. Results: - HBO maintains the largest Facebook and Twitter presences of any brand associated with boxing – only a few elite fighters maintain larger followings. • From January to June 2012, the HBO Boxing Facebook page grew 39% from 578K to 807K connections and is currently over 1MM connections. • From January - June 2012, the HBO Sports YouTube Channel garnered nearly 15MM views and 17K subscriptions and is currently over 41MM views and 72k subs
• www.twitter.com/hboboxing www.facebook.com/hboboxing www.youtube.com/hboboxing www.instagram.com/hboboxing http://itsh.bo/HBOBoxingChats
