When it comes to the use of social media, you can slot ONE Championship into the top spot. The martial arts organization led all global sports properties in organic video views in 2021, according to CrowdTangle/Facebook.
ONE took the top position with a reported 8.84 billion organic video views last year, nearly one billion more views than the next closest sports entertainment property. The WWE came in second with 7.92 billion views, with the ICC coming in third place with 2.61 billion views.
The UFC was also in the top five with 1.65 billion views, trailing the NBA, which had 1.86 billion views in 2021.
ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was proud of the accomplishment and thanked the global fanbase for watching the videos and making the organization the top sports property in the category.
“It is an honor to be recognized as the number-one sports property in the world in Facebook organic video views in 2021,” said Sityodtong. “Once again, we could not have achieved this feat without the greatest fans in the world and our superstar team at ONE Championship. While this data represents a great milestone, we are poised to reach even greater heights in 2022.”
The 2021 report followed the promotion’s tremendous growth in 2020. Per a Nielsen report, ONE was the fastest-growing sports property by digital followers in 2020, with a 113% increase. It appears 2021 was yet another milestone year for ONE.
The increase in fan engagement should help bolster their growth in 2022 as ONE begins the year with an incredible slate of events in the first quarter, including its tenth-anniversary show, ONE X.
ONE’s next event, ONE Championship: Only The Brave, scheduled for Jan. 28, is set to be another incredible show. It will feature the semifinals of the ONE featherweight kickboxing grand prix.
2022 promises to be a massive year for combat sports and ONE.