As of now, the NBA season is on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, though the association is using the time to look into how to improve broadcasting and fan interaction, with the NBA doing a great deal of work to bring the most up-to-date coverage of games straight to NBA fans. Adam Silver has talked about implementing VR seats into games as well as finding a way to provide broadcasts over social media without any restrictions, and teaming up with Microsoft may be the way to introduce even more technology to the NBA.
RELATED: Lebron James Tattoo Lawsuit Won By NBA 2K Publisher
During this partnership, games will be broadcast on Microsoft Azure and feature live stats personalized for the viewer. The broadcast will use AI to possibly determine stats, player information, and clips to provide as much data in a video overlay. The broadcasting has been compared to NBA 2K, which has been used as an alternative to live games recently.
The broadcast system will also have a reward system for viewers. Watching and interacting can grant viewers rewards such as badges and streaks and could potentially earn them discounts for tickets and merchandise. Although the system is still in development, it is expected to use AI for many of the mechanics including creating customized content like highlights and news. It will be interesting to see how sponsorships and partnerships shift with the new technology. NBA is partnered with many companies to provide deals and brand awareness, so having Microsoft on board seems like a good move.
When announcing the Microsoft partnership, Adam Silver says, “Our goal, working with Microsoft, is to create customized content that allows fans — whether they are in an NBA arena or watching from anywhere around the world — to immerse themselves in all aspects of the game and engage directly with our teams and players.”
As sports move towards utilizing more technology, the way the game is consumed changes. More comparisons are made between video games and live sports broadcasts, with the goal being to engage the viewer as much as possible and video games have provided an effective blueprint for it. Adam Silver always is looking for a way to improve media consumption and the deal with Microsoft takes the NBA one step further in being technologically advanced.
MORE: NBA 2K Donating Percentage of Revenue to COVID-19 Relief Efforts
Source: Gamespot
