Starting this weekend, NBA fans can watch games like never before, thanks to a deal between the NBA, Twitter and Turner Sports.
Twitter will live-stream the second half of 20 NBA on TNT games over the course of the rest of the season, offering a “single-player view” with an isolated camera focusing on just one player each game. The player will be chosen via fan vote on Twitter during the first half of the game.
“We were coming together and brainstorming, saying, ‘How do we capture that NBA fan on Twitter when games are actually going on?’ and we came up with the concept of the live stream during the live game,” said Mark Johnson, SVP of digital at Turner Sports. “That is where fans are consuming when they’re consuming. They’re using Twitter as a complementary, secondary experience to follow scores and highlights and keep up with what’s going on on a nightly basis.”
The new program plays into the NBA’s dedication to the digital space, particularly considering the rising popularity of #NBATwitter.
“#NBATwitter is one of the most engaged and most vibrant communities on the platform,” said TJ Adeshola, head of U.S. sports partnerships at Twitter. “For a while now, ever since we’ve had this fantastic relationship with the NBA and Turner, we’ve relied on the amazing energy around the NBA conversation on the platform. Part of the challenge has been, how do we harness all this amazing activity, energy and conversation into something that feels like an ideal complement to this community we call #NBATwitter?”
“Our following on Twitter for the NBA and NBA on TNT and NBA TV is over 34 million followers across those three,” Johnson added. “Tapping into that 34 million-plus on a Thursday night is massive exposure for the NBA itself and for NBA on TNT.”
In addition to the NBA’s popularity on social media, the program also takes advantage of the star power that draws fans to the NBA.
“I think it’s such a player-driven league,” Johnson said. “Players truly are the stars, so this plays perfectly to that concept. Twitter is also driven by players — they’re active on the platform themselves. Plus, from player walk-ins, what they’re wearing, big dunks — fans love seeing what those individual players are doing on a nightly basis, so putting fan voting in their hands and picking a specific player to watch and engage with and talk about on Twitter is really the perfect execution for that platform.”
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For the initial launch, fans will have the opportunity to choose between LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden and Steph Curry for the iso-cam.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t say the players didn’t play a huge role in what exists today as #NBATwitter,” Adeshola said. “They’re amazing, awesome, witty and leaned in on Twitter. We’ve been able to build on the back of the NBA being such a savvy and innovative league.”
The Twitter streams will also feature exclusive commentators, which will vary from traditional Turner Sports talent to social influencers and #NBATwitter personalities like Taylor Rooks and Rob Perez.
“Our intent is we want the show to legitimately be hosted by the #NBATwitter community — folks who use the platform, who contribute to that conversation on a day-to-day basis, like Taylor Rooks, World Wide Wob, and a few other surprises we’ll announce later in the season,” Adeshola said. “These are people that participate in an evergreen, always-on basis.”
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In forming the deal, the goal was to provide a hand-in-hand viewing experience between the stream on Twitter and full coverage on TNT, according to Johnson.
“We see it as complementary experience,” he said. “We are hopeful that this will drive viewership to the TNT broadcast because we’re reaching this new-ish audience and a younger demographic, and offering a different and custom piece of content on Twitter tied to a different experience than on television. It is going to educate people and make them aware that we’ve got the full game.”
For Adeshola, finding unique ways to stream games is becoming increasingly important in order to stand out in the sports realm.
“What we know is that users might not be as inclined to watch a show or program on Twitter that looks just like the linear broadcast,” he said. “We want a differentiated, unique, quote-unquote ‘Twittery’ experience on Twitter. If we forced a format like the linear one and smacked it right on Twitter with no differentiation, it may not perform as well as one that feels Twitter-specific… This is a complement of the great work of the Turner linear broadcast, to reward and incentivize the #NBATwitter community.”
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The new program launches this Sunday during the NBA All-Star Game, which, according to Johnson, is the ideal time to capitalize on excitement around the NBA.
“For us, All-Star Weekend is the pinnacle for Turner Sports and TNT — it’s our tentpole event,” he said. “We love the playoffs as well, but what I think is unique about All-Star Weekend is that it falls late in the season — we’re almost 75 percent done with the regular season, and we just got through the trade deadline — so there’s so much buzz and hype during All-Star. The combination of those factors collide in a great way to try new things and innovate around that weekend.”
The teams at Turner, Twitter, and the NBA understand the high expectations and the risks that come with the initial launch, but they’re confident that fans will be satisfied with the product.
“Quite frankly, it’s a test, right?” Johnson said. “But we’re up for the test, and Turner, the NBA and Twitter — we’re all aggressive in this space.”
