# Social Media Sports Streams Facebook Will Livestream March Madness Festivities from SXSW 2015 By Rebecca Byers | Published 2015-03-13 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/livestream-march-madness References: [variety](http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/facebook-dives-into-march-madness-with-turner-live-streaming-deal-1201450805/) & [adweek](http://www.adweek.com/lostremote/turner-sports-partners-with-facebook-to-livestream-march-madness-bracket-lounge/50932) [Facebook](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/facebook-debuts-at-stagecoach) and [Turner Sports](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/golf-mode) have joined forces to livestream March Madness festivities from a fan event at SXSW 2015 in Austin. The NCAA March Madness Bracket Lounge at SXSW will feature a giant bracket with expert analysts providing advice, a 'Madness Face' photobooth and plenty of opportunities to try out March Madness Live products. The unique social event will feature host Matt Winer, analyst Rick Fox and commentator Damaris Lewis, who will be discussing bracket selections from individuals at home via Facebook as well as guests present at the Lounge. Given the reputation of SXSW as a leading tech conference, Facebook and Turner Sports' livestream March Madness collaboration is likely a way of both parties testing the viability of the largely untapped market for [social sports streaming](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ea-sports-app). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.5/10 - Popularity: 33% | Activity: 65% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Computers](https://www.trendhunter.com/computers) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Social Sports Streaming:** The collaboration between Facebook and Turner Sports to livestream March Madness festivities at SXSW 2015 indicates a growing trend of social media platforms live streaming sports events. - **Interactive Fan Engagement:** The March Madness Bracket Lounge at SXSW 2015 showcases the trend of providing interactive experiences for fans, such as a giant bracket and a 'Madness Face' photobooth. - **Testing Untapped Markets:** Facebook and Turner Sports' collaboration at SXSW 2015 demonstrates a trend in testing the viability of social sports streaming as a largely untapped market. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Social Media Platforms:** Facebook's livestreaming partnership with Turner Sports highlights the potential disruptive innovation opportunities in the social media platform industry for live sports streaming. - **Sports Broadcasting:** The collaboration between Facebook and Turner Sports suggests potential disruptive innovation opportunities for sports broadcasting industry by exploring new distribution channels through social media platforms. - **Event Technology:** The March Madness Bracket Lounge at SXSW 2015 illustrates disruptive innovation opportunities in the event technology industry by integrating social media livestreaming, interactive experiences, and fan engagement. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Social-Platform Live Sport Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/live-sports-scores.md) - [Basketball Cable Updates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/xfinity-multiview.md) - [Multiview Streaming Platform Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/youtube-tv-1.md) - [Connection Platform Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/facebook-debuts-at-stagecoach.md) - [Basketball-Themed Fast Food Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ncaa-march-madness-promotion.md) - [Basketball-Themed QSR Promotions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arbys-3.md) - [Elevated Sports-Betting Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fanduel.md) - [Branded Female Athlete Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bracket-gap-challenge.md) - [Interactive Game Streaming Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/interactive-game-streaming.md)