Twitter steps up its game, joins with NBA on pair of new, exclusive live shows

By Daven Mathies July 19, 2016

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The National Basketball Association is bringing live content to Twitter thanks to a new, exclusive partnership with the social news service. As a platform for real-time conversation and reactions from fans, Twitter has always had a role in live sports coverage, even before any official partnerships. Now, it’s looking to elevate its game.

A new, weekly NBA pregame show will be the first program exclusive to Twitter. It will incorporate “first-of-its-kind elements” specifically designed to integrate with Twitter conversations. Interestingly, the new show will be available to both “logged-in and logged-out users,” suggesting a Twitter account won’t be necessary to view the content.

A second, to-be-determined exclusive show will be announced sometime before the start of the 2016-17 NBA season.

“Watching NBA basketball together with Twitter is a great experience,” said Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in a press release. “The league has been at the forefront of embracing new ways to reach their fans. We’re happy to bring even more great content to our global audience.”

Twitter’s other platforms, including Vine and Periscope, will also see new content from the NBA as Twitter expands its Amplify program. Available content will include behind-the-scenes videos, animated GIFs, #NBAmixtape custom edits, “Day in the Life” takeovers, and live-streams of press conferences and interviews through Periscope.

“We’ve seen technology bring fans closer to our game, teams, and players in ways we could have only imagined a decade ago,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “This expanded partnership will help feed our fans’ growing demand for the NBA by more deeply integrating the league across Twitter’s many platforms.”

Fans will certainly have no shortage of content as the NBA seeks to reach them in as many ways as possible. In addition to the expanded Twitter partnership, the league plans to produce as much content as it can, with a focus on increased behind-the-scenes coverage of major events, from the NBA Draft to the playoffs.

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