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- 2019/20 playoffs coverage also available via NBA app and other digital platforms
- ‘Twitch-style’ viewing technology also used for in-game betting and gamification
- Technology was adopted during Sky Sports’ recent Premier League productions
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and US broadcast partner Turner Sports have teamed up with social streaming platform LiveLike to create live group viewing experiences during the 2019/20 playoffs.
With fans shut out of the NBA’s Orlando bubble, LiveLike’s technology will allow multiple fans to watch together and comment on live streams via NBA TV and TNT Overtime.
The live-chat experience will also be available via the NBA app and digital platforms on mobile devices and personal computers. The partnership with the NBA and TNT will initially run for the duration of the NBA playoffs.
The move comes after a surge in adoption of ‘live chat’ technologies in recent months, with broadcast platforms attempting to engage fans at home during sport’s resumption in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Having worked on other major sporting events, including the 2018 men’s Fifa World Cup as well as the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl, LiveLike’s ‘watch party’ feature was recently adopted by UK pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports during its coverage from the conclusion to English soccer’s Premier League top flight.
According to LiveLike, the technology can also be adapted for other monetisable features covering gamification and betting, as well in-game polls and fan trivia.
Miheer Walavalkar, LiveLike’s chief executive and co-founder, said: “Bringing an interactive fan experience to the NBA playoffs with Turner Sports is a key milestone for our company, as we continue to evolve and seek new ways to connect fans with the content they love.
“Particularly at a time during which external factors such as travel and stay-at-home restrictions are forcing us all to re-think what it means to engage with live sports and other events.
“One of our first investors was the late David Stern, and making sports viewing a more social experience was something we talked about often. It's therefore especially satisfying to be doing just that, while working closely with a sport he loved and a league that he served as commissioner for three decades.”
Founded in 2015, LiveLike’s initial focus was based around virtual reality (VR) supported fan experiences, though has since moved towards social viewing. The New York-based company has raised more than US$14.7 million worth of funding, according to Crunchbase, including investments from Evolution Media, Greyhound Capital, Courtside VC, Elysian Park and Dentsu Ventures.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and US broadcast partner Turner Sports have teamed up with social streaming platform LiveLike to create live group viewing experiences during the 2019/20 playoffs.
With fans shut out of the NBA’s Orlando bubble, LiveLike’s technology will allow multiple fans to watch together and comment on live streams via NBA TV and TNT Overtime.
The live-chat experience will also be available via the NBA app and digital platforms on mobile devices and personal computers. The partnership with the NBA and TNT will initially run for the duration of the NBA playoffs.
The move comes after a surge in adoption of ‘live chat’ technologies in recent months, with broadcast platforms attempting to engage fans at home during sport’s resumption in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Having worked on other major sporting events, including the 2018 men’s Fifa World Cup as well as the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl, LiveLike’s ‘watch party’ feature was also adopted by UK pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sports during its coverage from the recent conclusion to English soccer’s Premier League top flight.
According to LiveLike, the technology can also be adapted for other monetisable features covering gamification and betting, as well in-game polls and fan trivia.
Miheer Walavalkar, LiveLike’s chief executive and co-founder, said: “Bringing an interactive fan experience to the NBA playoffs with Turner Sports is a key milestone for our company, as we continue to evolve and seek new ways to connect fans with the content they love.
“Particularly at a time during which external factors such as travel and stay-at-home restrictions are forcing us all to re-think what it means to engage with live sports and other events.
“One of our first investors was the late David Stern, and making sports viewing a more social experience was something we talked about often. It's therefore especially satisfying to be doing just that, while working closely with a sport he loved and a league that he served as commissioner for three decades.”
Founded in 2015, LiveLike’s initial focus was based around virtual reality (VR) supported fan experiences, though has since moved towards social viewing. The New York-based company has raised more than US$14.7 million worth of funding, according to Crunchbase, including investments from Evolution Media, Greyhound Capital, Courtside VC, Elysian Park and Dentsu Ventures.
