When the 2018-19 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, fans will be able to consume league action in new ways through streaming innovations and new in-stadium technological advances. The landscape of the league changed with LeBron James’ offseason decision to head west for the Los Angeles Lakers, and new frontiers within the realm of sports betting and esports also look to drastically change the league.
Esports
The NBA 2K League will return for its second season next spring with four new NBA esports teams attached to the Lakers, Timberwolves, Nets, and Hawks. The league will now have 21 teams total, and is aiming to have all 30 NBA franchises on board within the next few years. Every NBA 2K League game next season will be streamed on Twitch as part of a multi-year partnership announced last year.
Esports has opened up a whole new world of sponsorships for NBA teams. The Houston Rockets and Shanghai Sharks basketball teams have played each another in friendly exhibition games for several years, but that basketball partnership will now expand esports matchups as well. Nielsen recently created a new sponsorship valuation tool solely for the esports marketplace, taking advantage of the growth of esports sponsorship opportunities.
NBA players are also getting involved in esports. Health concerns have sidelined former Miami Heat power forward Chris Bosh from the NBA, but recently Bosh accepted a player development role with global esports organization Gen.G. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has been a pioneer among traditional sports executives seeking out the revenue potential of esports, and the NBA, and NBA 2K, is likely a model for other North American professional sports leagues.
Streaming
NBA League Pass has been upgraded for the upcoming season to give fans micro-transaction purchasing options. For fans who don’t necessarily care to watch an entire game but only want to tune in for crunch time, NBA League Pass now lets fans purchase the fourth quarter of single games for $1.99 per game.
Outside of subscribing to NBA League Pass, there are various other options that NBA fans might be able to use to watch games and content this season. That list includes streaming radio, virtual reality, and regional sports networks.
Wearables
Kinexon has emerged at the No. 1 provider of wearable technology among NBA teams. The Kinexon device is small enough that it can fit into a pouch in a player’s shorts, and from there Kinexon tracks movements of players and range of motion to detect when a player might be battling an injury. Last season, the CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers said Kinexon played a key role in monitoring the health of All-Star center Joel Embiid. The Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards are among the other teams known to use Kinexon.
New In-Game Experiences
In June, the NBA signed a deal with facial recognition app 15 Seconds of Fame, enabling fans to easily find and share videoboard and broadcast appearances in all 29 NBA arenas. Phillips Arena in particular underwent significant renovations. The home of the Atlanta Hawks now features giant new LED boards to enhance the fan experience.
Phoenix Suns fans will also have the ability this upcoming season to pay for tickets and in-game merchandise through Venmo. The Suns signed a multi-year jersey sponsorship deal with PayPal, which owns Venmo, a mobile payment service that acts as a social networking platform. If the Suns see a spike in-game revenue sales this season, perhaps more teams will partner with PayPal to integrate Venmo payment options into stadiums.
Sports Betting
Most leagues are still figuring out how to approach sports betting integration since the federal ban on sports betting was uplifted last spring. In July, the NBA signed a multi-year deal with MGM Resorts, becoming the first U.S. professional sports league to name an official gaming partner. As a result of that partnership, MGM will receive data from the NBA that could be used in betting operations.