If you’re looking to fill out a March Madness bracket online, ESPN and Yahoo are two platforms that likely come to mind.
Now you can add Twitter to that list.
The company today announced a new partnership with Wendy’s that will let users create NCAA basketball brackets directly through Twitter’s Direct Message platform. It’s the first time that Twitter is enabling bracket building through its site.
Starting this Sunday, fans can create a bracket on Twitter. You can manually pick each game or use “Magic Bracket,” which automatically fills out the bracket based on personality quiz answers, or “Quick Start Final Four,” which auto-fills the bracket after fans select their four regional champions.
You’ll be able to check your bracket at any time throughout the tournament. Twitter and Wendy’s will give away prizes and offer redemption bracket opportunities.
We’ll update this post on Sunday with specific directions on how to fill out your bracket via Twitter.
Update: Here’s how to fill out the bracket:
For the first time ever, build your bracket right here in the DMs with #WendysBracket. https://t.co/qD4EEdb4l3
— Wendy's (@Wendys) March 13, 2017
Wendy’s, which is the “official hamburger of the NCAA,” is also driving a food truck around the country to college campuses and tournament sites to give away burgers and other freebies as part of its sponsorship.
March Madness is a big deal in the sports world, with $9.2 billion in bets placed on the annual hoops tournament last year. ESPN reported a record 13 million submitted brackets in 2016.
Sites like ESPN and Yahoo also do giveaways and sell sponsorships as part of their March Madness contests. Given Twitter’s aim to be a home base for sports fans, it makes sense for the company to join the party and do something similar. The partnership with Wendy’s likely won’t completely fix Twitter’s stagnant user growth, but it makes sense to capitalize on users already using the platform to follow March Madness. Perhaps another live-streaming deal is in the works next.
