Virtual Courtside Experience

TAKEAWAY: VIRTUAL COURTSIDE EXPERIENCE

Our league’s newest team owner, Vivek Ranadivé of the Sacramento Kings, was born in Mumbai, India. He calls the next chapter of the NBA’s growth NBA 3.0. The heart of NBA 3.0 is this—more fans in more countries reached across more platforms can experience and come to love a game that is more global and more relevant than ever before. 

That’s part of why we are so focused on the power of technology, as I know all sports are, particularly mobile and digital, which is how a majority of our fans will come to view our game in the future.

And our fans are increasingly attached to their mobile devices. According to a recent study, 61 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds in the U.S. sleep with their phones, and they check them on average an astonishing 270 times a day. And the CEOs in this room are not far behind. Developing digital platforms for our content makes it possible to meet fans wherever they are and deliver content that they consume whenever they want.

And technology can help create that virtual courtside experience which I talked about earlier. High-quality audio will allow fans to hear what the players and refs are saying, for better or worse. High-definition video from multiple camera angles and unprecedented access to players and coaches will provide courtside-like views of the action. Plus fans can engage in a real-time conversation with other fans around the world on social media, the equivalent of cheering, yelling, and even booing, just as if you were in the arena.