DURHAM, N.C. – As the college basketball season rolls on and March Madness approaches, Facebook is continuing its partnership with Learfield to rally students, alumni and fans across the country to cheer on their favorite college teams.
The collaboration spans 10 leading athletic departments for a series of historic rivalries and engages fans through custom in-app experiences, collaborations within Facebook groups and exclusive content from premier student-athletes at each university.
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Facebook to connect college sports fans from around the world,” said Bill Hirsh, Senior Vice President of Corporate Sales. “Their support for athletic departments and student athletes has been incredible, but the focus on connecting fans through their shared passion for college sports is truly special.”
Just ahead of conference championships and the NCAA Tournament, Facebook heads to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the season’s second playing of The Rivalry—the iconic matchup between Duke and North Carolina—after activating at the teams’ first meeting in Chapel Hill last month.
For Saturday’s contest, Facebook has partnered with Duke basketball stars Cameron and Cayden Boozer to show that whether you are looking for advice on your game, a roommate, or a place to cheer for your team, Facebook is where real people come together to make things happen—on and off the court.
The Facebook brand will also feature prominently on game day with visibility across in-venue signage and video board content, social media posts and radio broadcasts, as well as the continued presenting sponsorship of The Rivalry.
“This game is the pinnacle of college basketball for not only the fanbase of both of these programs, but to many diehard basketball fans from all over the country,” said Tim Utrup, General Manager of Learfield’s Blue Devil Sports Properties. “Facebook is committed to providing fan connection and there is no better game to engage the college basketball community than Duke versus Carolina.”
Facebook’s presenting sponsorship of the most storied rivalry in college basketball was facilitated by Learfield’s corporate partnership management team with collaboration from the locally based Blue Devil Sports Properties and Tar Heel Sports Properties teams.
As part of its growing presence in college sports, Facebook also served as the presenting sponsor for two iconic football rivalries in the Fall – the 122nd playing of the Egg Bowl rivalry between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, as well as the 118th meeting between Oregon and Washington.
About Learfield
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.