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Chuks Udo Okonta
The NBA has announced the launch of new features available to fans globally on the NBA App – the official home of basketball – for the 2024-25 season, showcasing the league’s dedication to innovation to enhance the fan viewing experience. The new elements are highlighted by multiview now available on connected devices, which gives fans the option to watch up to four games simultaneously on NBA League Pass – the league’s live game subscription service.
In addition, NBA League Pass subscribers in Africa and around the world will have the ability to customize their viewing experience and always be live when watching NBA games. Fans can smart rewind games from any point with key plays highlighted, download full games for offline viewing and access a range of game recap versions including “All Possessions,” “10-Minute Condensed,” “Key Highlights,” and more. Additionally, the app will offer interactive synced stats and analytics, ensuring fans experience the game in the app as if it is live no matter when they are watching.
Among the game-changing enhancements is “NBA Insights,” an AI-powered tool that leverages the power of Microsoft Azure. The feature uses AI rooted in deep basketball understanding to identify key narratives, player performances, and notable milestones, providing fans with a continuous feed of text-based updates that go beyond the box score to better contextualize what’s happening on the court. The league is also using Generative AI to localize content, offering game recaps in French, Portuguese and Spanish as well as translations for select original programming and live games.
Additionally, content on the NBA App throughout the season will incorporate “Dunk Score,” an AI-calculated grade for in-game dunks in real-time based on a breadth of factors including the player’s jumping distance, style and force at the rim, and defensive efforts from the opposing team.
“Pass the Rock,” the popular NBA App series highlighting the emerging league stars, returns for season three with a special “Rookie Year Edition.” This episode will follow San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s transition to the NBA, culminating in him being named the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year. On Sunday, Oct. 20, the NBA will launch “Raising 18,” a nine-part docuseries narrated by five-time NBA All-Star Al Horford spotlighting the Boston Celtics’ journey to their 2024 NBA Finals victory.
Popular experiential features within the NBA App have been enhanced to increase personalization, including the all-new ‘Following’ tab, which combines the latest content from your favorite teams and players into an algorithmic feed as well as the revamped “Game Stories” now with pre-game analysis, highlights and interactive polls. “Moments” – the popular vertical social media-style feed feature – has been upgraded to include multi-language support and can now be accessed on Roku TVs for quick content consumption on larger screens.
On NBA League Pass, fans will have access to a variety of alternate telecast options, including in-language streams (Spanish, Portuguese and Korean), the return of the popular “NBA Strategy Stream” providing fans with a unique viewing option breaking down in-game tactics and “NBA HooperVision” featuring NBA legend Quentin Richardson and special guests. Additional alternate stream options will be announced throughout the season.
As part of the league’s partnership with Meta, 52 live game broadcasts will be streamed in immersive VR in NBA Arena in Meta Horizon Worlds and Xtadium on Meta Quest, the Official MR Headset of the NBA, NBA G League and WNBA. Xtadium will also allow NBA League Pass subscribers to watch every live 2D game nightly in mixed reality, complete with real-time stats. More information, including the full 2024-25 NBA game schedule for Meta Quest, can be found here (https://apo-opa.co/3YaWS7w).
The league continues to expand the technological capabilities of its “Next Gen integrated digital platform,” which is now powering four team-specific direct-to-consumer streaming services in the NBA App, including BlazerVision (https://apo-opa.co/3Ypldb1) (Portland Trail Blazers), ClipperVision (https://apo-opa.co/3Ypldb1) (LA Clippers), Jazz+ (https://apo-opa.co/3A1d7fq) (Utah Jazz) and Suns Live (https://apo-opa.co/3Ypldb1) (Phoenix Suns). The platform, which is the technology backbone for the NBA App, is also enabling Spectrum SportsNet+ (Los Angeles Lakers).
The NBA App – a product of NBA Digital, the league’s joint venture with TNT Sports – is powered by Microsoft Azure and free to download here (https://apo-opa.co/4dPaT0o)
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of National Basketball Association (NBA).
About the NBA :
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2023-24 season featured a record 125 international players from 40 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, www.NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.
