This weekend’s Billie Jean King Cup Play-Off between Great Britain and Mexico will be the first ever live sporting event to be broadcast on TikTok in the UK.
The Billie Jean King Cup is the world’s largest international team competition in women’s tennis. More than 100 nations have played in the tournament this year – the LTA, the home of tennis in Britain, has teamed up with TikTok to bring the match to users across the UK.
This month, 16 teams – including Great Britain and Mexico – are competing in play-off ties for a place in the qualifiers for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. The British team are taking on the Mexicans over two days from Friday 16 April to Saturday 17 April at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, London.
TikTok and the LTA want to bring fans closer to the action to virtually support their favourite British stars. Not only will this be a nail-biting tie for fans, it’s also the first-ever live sporting event broadcast on TikTok in the UK.
Here’s how and when you can tune in:
- The first match will take place on Friday 16 April at 2pm – 5pm BST on the official @LTA channel
- The first singles match will start on Saturday 17 April at 11.30am – 3pm, and 4.10pm BST on the official @LTA channel
Leading the Brits this weekend is Heather Watson, who has been a part of 35 British Billie Jean King Cup squads – putting her sixth in the all-time list for most Billie Jean King Cup squads made by a British woman. She’s also a brilliant TikTok creator who regularly shares hilarious comedy sketches and created her own ‘Quarantine Triathlon‘ training in lockdown!
TikTok is working with the LTA to put a spotlight on all the incredible #womeninsports and tennis in all its forms – from the professional game to grassroots activity. The LTA will also be producing a wide range of content around the event, including behind the scenes footage, match highlights and player Q&As.
This year tennis has found a home on TikTok, with over 3.2 billion views of #tennis video content. Accounts like the LTA share everything from best tennis bloopers to fitness livestreams and even new trends like tennis themed yoga.
We’re also seeing more tennis players, like Heather, experiment with the platform to find new ways to engage with fans – like Ukranian player Elina Svitolina who describes herself as a “Tennis pro – sometimes, TikToker – always”. She loves showing fans behind the scenes of her Tennis world – from meditating, training in her hotel room and how to keep that positive energy!
New to TikTok and want to tune in for the match? Getting involved couldn’t be easier – just download the app for free via the Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon.
