AS joins forces with Twitter to revolutionise its live feeds

AS readers will be able to enjoy more interactive, more comprehensive and more engaging real-time coverage of sporting events. The newspaper has reached an agreement with Twitter that will see selected content from the social-media platform directly integrated into its live online feeds, which in turn will also feature more multimedia elements: photos, videos, live videos and galleries.

The aim of this is to provide our audience with content of highly informative value, and with a unique experience combining two universes: our commentary of a sporting event, and real-time interaction on Twitter.

In addition to being able to participate in the conversation about a sporting event through comments and surveys, the reader will also find additional statistics and information such as line-ups, results, tables, real-time match data and form guides and analysis, put together by Football Data Suite.

This fresh live-feed format comes with a brand-new design, with the scoreboard and other essential match information visible at all times, and with a simple, intuitive layout that provides for easy reading of the commentary, with specific labels for every kind of incident (goals, cards, offsides, substitutions, controversy, VAR reviews, etc). The most significant in-game moments will also come with buttons allowing users to share them on social media.

Groundbreaking agreement with Twitter

For the first time ever, this innovative project will allow a media outlet to include an interactive display featuring tweets and Twitter talking points, enabling readers to discover new points of view of the event, and participate in and interact with a platform all about 'what's happening', without needing to leave AS' live feed.

In the same space, the reader will find everything that's occurring in and around a sporting event or major piece of news: the journalist's account, stats, opinion, the conversation on Twitter and the comments posted by readers of AS. What's more, the new live-feed format will offer several ways to take part: polls, hashtag and player battles, votes on the major points of debate and key moments in the game, trending topics, and a summary of the stand-out tweets on the event.

This project has also been put together in collaboration with GuudTV, a Spanish company that specialises in the development of technologies relating to Twitter, in a partnership that further underlines AS' commitment to innovation and to safeguarding the quality of content enjoyed by its readers.

Quicker and more data efficient

AS' new live-feed platform will also provide the reader with a better technical experience. Intense web-performance-optimisation efforts mean it will load more quickly, while its 100% responsive design ensures it will adapt to any device and the latest browser standards. Its layout will not only respect the reader's needs in terms of quality content, but also advertising optimisation. Particular attention has been paid to the visibility of ads, to offer a product that meets the demands of the current market and, at the same time, preserves a smooth reading experience.

Furthermore, the live feed will be published using an all-new online editor and in an article format that will minimise users' mobile-data use.

Its initial roll-out period will see it used for AS' coverage of all football matches, regardless of the competition and in all versions of the publication, before being extended to other sports and the rest of AS' digital products.

You'll be able to enjoy the Champions League final, the Nations League, the Copa América and the Africa Cup of Nations with AS' new live-feed service.