Irish bookmaker Paddy Power is reaching into the world of fan engagement through social media by signing a partnership with the Fanatix application.
The platform is designed primarily for the next generation of Smart TV’s incorporating internet and social media feeds alongside the main TV picture.  It will also work on mobile devices either at games if the wifi signal is strong enough or wherever people are watching games.
Viewers are able to find groups of friends or other fans who are following the game live and engage in game specific twitter discussions.  The service will be live for this weekend’s Champions’ League Final where Paddy Power customers will also have access to detailed match information.
Paddy Power is the third major partnership for Fanatix in recent weeks it was selected by Manchester City to engage fans during the Premier League title run-in games and by ESPN to support the broadcasters coverage of the FA Cup Final.
“The recent Barcelona v Chelsea UEFA Champions’ League semi-final generated over 14,000 tweets per second,” said Will Muirhead, founder of Fanatix.  “Last weekend’s Premier League finale will likely have beaten that again and we expect Saturday night to be one of massive global engagement.