NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday that in the future, fans could have the opportunity to make purchases to see the last five minutes of games.
While sitting on a Sports Business Innovation panel at CES in Las Vegas, Silver offered those comments when asked by Turner Sports host Ernie Johnson how fans will be watching games in five years.
“Certainly we’re going from a place where it was one price for an entire season of games,” Silver said, referring to NBA LEAGUE PASS. “Now just in the last two years, we’ve made single games available. But I think you’re going to get to the point where somebody wants to watch the last five minutes of the game, and they go click, they’ll pay a set price for five minutes as opposed to what they would pay for two hours of the game. So I think you’re going to take the same great content, and you’re just going to make it that much more available to people who want it.”
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The NBA currently makes live out-of-market games available to viewers via NBA LEAGUE PASS, offering full season and individual team packages along with the ability to purchase single games.
Creating an option to purchase the final five minutes of games would cater to fans who primarily want to watch close games that could come down to clutch performances and buzzer beaters or go into overtime.
The NBA recognizes that many fans with mobile devices and other distractions don’t watch full games. Last month, the league launched mobile fantasy game NBA InPlay in an attempt to attract them to watch live games for longer periods of time.
With access to smartphones and social media, fans could perhaps draw upon the buzz that a tight game or hot shooting performance generates through three quarters and then decide to watch the final five minutes.
“I think it’s going to be a lot easier to watch games on mobile devices,” Silver said of the future.
“I think you’re going to hit the point where for example…you’re on a Twitter feed or you get an alert. I think there will be a lot more sophisticated alerts, and you’ll see ‘I know Sue Bird, I like Sue Bird, Sue Bird’s going for a record-setting game.’ And then you’re going to go click, and then you’re going to get the game.”