The NBA, which has the biggest presence on Twitter of any sports league, is staying on the social network’s court with an expanded, multiyear content deal extension.
What’s new starting this year: The NBA will produce 40 Twitter Spaces events during the current season, bringing on players and other guests from the pro-hoops world for live-audio chats, free for fans.
Under the renewal, the league will also continue to provide a slew of live content, highlights and Twitter Moments on Twitter, and the deal will bring back #NBATwitterLive livestreams of the second halves of select games air on TNT for the third year in a row.
The NBA’s scheduled Twitter Spaces this season will include events geared around its 75th anniversary, as well as tentpole moments including Christmas Day games, the NBA All-Star game and the NBA Finals. The Twitter Spaces will feature NBA current and former players and others discussing on-court storylines and reflecting on the league’s 75-year history. The partners are also looking to sell sponsorships for the NBA’s Twitter Spaces events.
“We look forward to building on our innovations with Twitter by bringing live, interactive audio content to Twitter Spaces and driving NBA fans on Twitter to engage with NBA live game telecasts and direct-to-consumer offerings,” Jennifer Chun, NBA’s SVP and head of content partnerships, said in a statement.
The NBA is a key content partner for Twitter: The league first joined the social network in 2009 and has since built one of the largest Twitter communities in the world — counting more than 380 million followers globally across all league, team and player platforms.
NBA Digital, the league’s joint venture with WarnerMedia’s Turner Sports, will continue offering #NBATwitterLive, which provides livestreams for the second halves of select NBA on TNT games. Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks and NBA veteran Channing Frye, alongside notable guests from the NBA family, return for the fourth consecutive season to host the single-player, isolated-camera feed.
For the current season, #NBATwitterLive will include more camera angles than in previous years for a selection of NBA on TNT games (including conference finals and the NBA All-Star game). Fans in the U.S. will be prompted with a QR code during TNT broadcasts that, when scanned, will kick viewers over to the second-screen livestream on #NBATwitterLive. In addition, #NBATwitterLive will also offer fans a live look-in to the accompanying TNT broadcast, aimed at driving tune-in of the cable broadcast.
The NBA and Twitter will continue to offer real-time highlights throughout the regular season, playoffs and playoffs as well as localized content for international regions. And for the first time, highlights will also be available from the league’s @NBABet and @NBAFantasy accounts.