Since its launch in late February, Meerkat has been enjoying tremendous viral growth and was the talk of SXSW 2015. Meerkat is a live video streaming app that directly links with Twitter accounts, allowing people to stream a live video to their followers. Everything that happens on Meerkat happens on Twitter, all at once. The possibilities of experiencing live events or interacting with some of the most famous stars in the world is what makes this app so exciting, which is why many are thinking of the endless ways it can transcend into the sports world where teams and players can engage with fans.
Celebrities have quickly joined the Meerkat movement, such as comedian Jimmy Fallon who live streamed his Tonight’s Show monologue rehearsal, which drew up to 2,000 viewers in a matter of minutes. ESPN has also joined the trend of streaming through Meerkat on their show ESPN First Take, where TV host Stephen A. Smith “Meerkated” with rapper Ludacris, who was a guest appearance on the show.
Imagine, as a sports fan, being able to engage with your favorite athlete or team over a live stream! Interesting, right? Or how about witnessing a Game 7 winner-take-all of our favorite sport, following live through a mobile device that allows us to feel like we’re at the game? Meerkat gives fans the new, creative ability to interact with their favorite athletes and teams with live video.
Streaming in real time could allow behind the scene footage and backstage access prior, during and after a game. This could allow an athlete to live steam in the locker room or during a workout, allowing viewers to see how the team or player prepares for a game.
Certain athletes could even host a Q&A through Meerkat to answer questions viewers have for their favorite players. The great thing is that anyone can tune in to Meerkat and even send comments that can be seen as Twitter “@” replies. So, as the live stream is happening, a player can see the comments about the stream that may lead to an answer or topic that a fan may have raised.
The connection between Twitter and Meerkat is efficient as it allows easy interaction through the trigger of a tweet. Athletes and teams are always looking for ways to give back and interact with fans and they can now do so in a new way with Meerkat. The most exciting thing about this new app is that it is still fresh and new, so the possibilities of what Meerkat can be is still to be determined.