Mxit: now with live South African soccer games

This is pretty cool. Anyone using the mobile social network Mxit can now get real-time information on games from South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) as they are being played, on their mobile phones.

The new feature, which comes courtesy of a partnership with global sports match analysis company Amisco Group, apparently allows South African fans to “access live, detailed and accurate performance information on all PSL games as they are being played on their mobile phones”. In addition, Mxit will have pre-game and post-game data and statistics on teams and players on each of the official club apps.

All 16 PSL teams will have a community on Mxit, with national teams Bafana Bafana and Bayana Bayana being added in the coming months. According to the social network, which claims to have around 6.5-million users in South Africa, people can expect to find latest news, match reports with detailed analysis, player profiles, live match updates and the opportunity to share thoughts, ideas and words of support with the team.

“For true fans the experience is not limited to the 90 minutes that the match is physically being played. There are hours of analysis of the players, the strategies, the opposing team’s ability to compete before the match and then there is the post-game deconstruction of what happened and what impact it has on the rest of the season,” says Ryan Paterson, Regional Head of the Amisco Group for Africa. “The community apps on Mxit will be the perfect location for fans to get up-to-the-minute facts and stats on the games and players, increasing fan engagement and lowing them to share their views with others.”

The Amisco Group has been looking for the correct channel to create a ‘second screen’ experience of the games for some time. “We want to create an environment where the enjoyment of the game can stretch way beyond the televised match,” says Paterson.

“Mxit is the only social media channel in the country that can reach all soccer fans regardless of where they live and what phone they have, which is what made it the obvious choice for us,” he adds.

Anyone wanting to find their club can do so in the sports section of the main Mxit app.