British and Irish Lions get trendy with TikTok partnership
The British and Irish Lions have stepped into the modern age, announcing a partnership with social media giant TikTok.
The deal will see the touring rugby team use TikTok to reach a new generation of rugby fan.
The team’s social presence on the Chinese-owned brand is healthy but lower than many other sports teams. They’ve got just shy of 450,000 followers but have racked up 11.6m likes on their content. This year’s Lions squad announcement reached 1.7m people on the platform.
Rebecca O’Keeffe, head of content operations at TikTok Ireland said: “This partnership is all about making The British & Irish Lions and rugby even more accessible.
“Whether it’s breaking down the rules for first-time viewers or capturing the emotional highs of the Lions matches, TikTok creators will showcase the Tour through content that educates, entertains, and inspires.”
British and Irish Lions chasing trends
TikTok creators will be in Dublin this evening reportedly trying to capture the clips fans do not see.
Shane Whelan, director of digital at the British & Irish Lions, said: “We are incredibly excited to partner with TikTok for the upcoming Qatar Airways Lions Men’s Tour to Australia 2025.
“Both on and off the pitch we have big ambitions and TikTok is a priority platform for us as we look to reach more fans than ever before.
“This partnership forms an integral part of our most-ambitious ever social and content plan for a Lions Tour, so we can’t wait to get things started in Dublin for what promises to be an historic match for the Lions before we fly down under to Australia.”
The tour gets underway on Friday evening with a match against Argentina, the first time the touring side will face the Pumas in 20 years.
The side will then fly down to Australia for a series of matches over the next two months, culminating in three Tests against the Wallabies.