TikTok Inc.

18/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 19/01/2024 13:21

TikTok and Six Nations Rugby agree new partnership with online safety focus

TikTok has today been announced as Official Fans of both the Guinness Men's and Women's Six Nations Championships. The new deal will give the TikTok community a unique window into the 2024 Guinness Six Nations while also raising awareness of TikTok's online safety features through its #SwipeOutHate campaign.

Running throughout both the men's and women's Guinness Six Nations, Swipe Out Hate aims to protect rugby fans on TikTok from anyone who seeks to spread hate and division, and educate the community about TikTok's range of reporting tools to prevent harmful behaviour on the platform.

In the UK and France, Swipe Out Hate will be spotlighted during the Championships in a large-scale advertising campaign across out-of-home, print and social media, and on-demand streaming services, with additional TikTok in-app activity in all six countries involved in the Championships.

As part of the partnership, the TikTok community will also have access to a wealth of bespoke content from rugby's greatest Championships, capturing everything from match highlights and training clips, to fan reactions and creator videos. This will be available via TikTok's official #SixNationsRugby Search Hub, a one-stop-shop for Guinness Six Nations action throughout both the Men's and Women's Championships.

TikTok's talented creators are set to play a bigger role in 2024, taking the incredible atmosphere of a Guinness Six Nations match from European rugby stadiums to TikTok's Search Hub and For You feeds around the world. Creators will be giving the TikTok community an insight into the full matchday experience, complete with pre-match build up, live reaction and everything in between.

Aoife Moran, Sports Marketing Lead EUI at TikTok, said: "Since the start of our partnership with Six Nations Rugby, rugby has truly taken off on TikTok and it has been amazing to see how our platform has evolved into a vibrant destination for rugby fandom online. But we know there's always more to do when it comes to eradicating online hate speech in sports. With our #SwipeOutHate campaign, we're shining a light on the measures we've put in place to ensure TikTok is a positive environment for rugby fans everywhere."

Sarah Beattie, Chief Marketing Officer at Six Nations Rugby, added: "TikTok have been an incredible partner for Six Nations Rugby, helping us on our mission to reach and engage new fans with each of the Championships. This continues to be a key focus, and through the new strategic marketing partnership, TikTok will play an important role in helping us grow rugby's audience, celebrate the game and it's stars as well as foster that incredible sense of community that rugby instinctively generates through compelling content."

All this comes following the record-breaking success of TikTok's partnership with Six Nations Rugby, which has helped both the men's and women's game attract new fans. The #SixNationsRugby hashtag, the home of Guinness Six Nations content in-app, currently stands at over nine billion views, and the official @sixnationsrugby channel has reached over half a million followers. The #womensrugby TikTok hashtag has over 900M views, with 159,000 followers of the @womenssixnations TikTok channel and 2.3 million likes so far.

The 2024 Guinness Men's Six Nations Championships kicks off Friday 2 February when Ireland takes on France. The Women's Six Nations Championships starts on Saturday 23 February, following the conclusion of the Men's Championships.

To read more about TikTok's approach to combatting hate on its platform, visit here.