NBA, Turner, Twitter live stream deal
January 10, 2019
The National Basketball Association (NBA), Turner Sports and Twitter have agreed a live streaming deal that will provide fans in the US with a complementary experience on Twitter (via @NBAonTNT) for 20 NBA on TNT games this season.
During the second halves of those games, fans can watch the action through a single-player, isolated camera view. Fans will vote on Twitter for the player they want to see featured during the live stream of select regular-season and playoff games airing on TNT as well as the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.
“The NBA Twitter community is among the most vibrant in sports and entertainment,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “While watching NBA games on TNT, our fans on Twitter can now enjoy a unique second screen experience that will further enhance the way fans engage with each other and the game.”
“Turner and the NBA have always taken a leadership position in providing fans with engaging experiences and this partnership with Twitter is the latest example,” said David Levy, President of Turner. “This complementary live stream on Twitter – from the distinct vantage point of the fan-voted, most coveted player on a given night – will provide an additive experience for fans to go along with the fully-produced coverage on TNT.”
“#NBATwitter is one of the most exciting and entertaining global conversations happening on Twitter today,” said Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter. “We’re thrilled to partner with the NBA and TNT to bring live video directly into the app to make it even better!”
The live streams will debut during TNT’s presentation of the 2019 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, February 17th, with an ISO-CAM of a fan-voted player. The schedule of regular-season and playoff live streams will be announced at a later date, along with exclusive commentators who will provide analysis for this second screen offering.
As part of the expanded relationship, the NBA – through its NBA Digital partnership with Turner – will continue to provide on-demand content from the @NBA Twitter handle, including video of pre-game warmups, in-game and post-game highlights, and behind-the-scenes content.
Since the NBA joined Twitter in 2009, the league has built the largest Twitter community of any sports league in the world with 27.5 million followers.