X expands its ‘Gametime’ sports hub beyond the NFL, starting with MLB

You can now track MLB games and discussions within X, alongside NFL content, with more sports coming soon.

X, formerly Twitter, is expanding its "Gametime" sports hub beyond the NFL, starting with Major League Baseball (MLB). The feature, first launched in August to track NFL games, will now include MLB postseason discussions, scores, stats, team content, and creator insights. X plans to add more professional sports leagues, including the NBA, soon, aiming to make Gametime a year-round destination. This expansion is part of X's strategy to attract advertisers by leveraging the engagement of sports fans. The company highlighted that Gametime has already drawn interest from major advertisers seeking to connect with attentive audiences. This move follows a legal settlement with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), which X had accused of an illegal boycott, aiming to reset its relationship with advertisers concerned about content moderation and Musk's public statements.

The expansion of X's Gametime feature into MLB signals a broader push to become a comprehensive sports destination on the platform, moving beyond its initial NFL focus. This strategy aims to create a sticky, year-round engagement hub for fans, thereby increasing user retention and time spent on the platform. By consolidating live sports data and fan discussions, X is attempting to capture a significant slice of the sports media market, positioning itself as a central point for sports consumption and social interaction.

For advertisers, this diversification means new opportunities to reach highly engaged fan bases across multiple sports, potentially offering more consistent campaign opportunities throughout the year. The platform's effort to reconcile with advertisers, emphasized by the WFA settlement and a commitment to brand safety, suggests a concerted effort to rebuild trust and attract ad spend. This strategic pivot could reshape how sports-related advertising is conducted on social media, with X aiming to offer a safer and more integrated environment for brands.