Facebook Sports Stadium: New feature launched to give live updates on scores, stats and commentary

Facebook has launched a new feature that will let users track real-time updates on sports events, player statistics and live commentary from experts. Called the Facebook Sports Stadium, the feature will provide all sports related content from the social network to users.

"Sports is a global interest that connects people around the world. This product makes connecting over sports more fun and engaging, and we will continue listening to feedback to make it even better," Facebook product manager Steve Kafka said in a blogpost.

According to Re/code, Facebook is licensing game data from a company called Sportradar, even though it will be relying entirely on games related content from its social media site. The sports platform will show content in a chronological order and provide live scores and play-by-play information (live commentary).

Users will also be able to see posts and comments on events by friends and experts, which they can comment on, like, and share. Through the sports platform users will also get information about where to watch games on TV.

Meanwhile, the Facebook product manager said: "We're rolling this out today [20 January] for American football games and will support other sports around the world like basketball, soccer, and more soon. The experience is available now on iPhone in the US, and will expand to other platforms in the coming weeks."

Even though Facebook's Sports Stadium sounds like an app, it is not. It functions within the social network. "You can get to Facebook Sports Stadium by searching for the game, and we'll surface new ways to get there as the product evolves," Kafka added.