Twitter will soon be broadcasting live NBA games, but not in the way you probably expect or have grown accustomed to.
With more and more people cutting the cables around the world, eliminating cable and traditional television, the NBA chose to try something new.
According to NBA.comTwitter will start streaming the second half of select matches in February, with the camera focused on a single player.
PREVIOUSLY: 10 RECENT NBA BIG 3 THAT FAILED AND 10 THAT WILL BE SOON
Thus, fans will not be able to watch the first half of the chosen game through the social media network. But what they will be able to do is vote for the player they want the camera to focus on as they move towards the @NBAonTNT Account.
The player who collects the most votes will be the sole focus of the footage via an isolated camera. When that player goes to the bench, or fouls out of play, users will see regular play, but not from the usual broadcast angle. The game will be broadcast from a camera behind one of the panels.
With the number of people switching to online TV, professional sports leagues and their partners are trying to find ways to retain their audience and distribute their games and content on alternative channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Amazon and Google. .
Conversely, Turner Sports, which owns the rights to broadcast NBA games, seeks to protect content for which it pays billions of dollars each year, which is why fans will not yet receive the full package on Twitter.
This latest venture is just an experiment, but we could see a huge change over the next few years. The deal with Twitter is believed to be one for 20 games, including playoff matches.
Streaming is expected to start around mid-February, around All-Star weekend.
What does that mean
As mentioned above, this endeavor is purely experimental. Fans might not want to opt for a single half in which they can only see one player, but chances are that many people would actually like to watch, say, a Lakers game on TV and experience a more intimate experience by also following a camera focused only on LeBron James.
Also, the games will be free anyway. But you never know, Twitter might have the whole package, or at least a reasonable part of it, at a decent price for fans who don’t want to pay a cable company or for the NBA League Pass in the future.
NEXT: LeBRON JAMES DOES MORE PRACTICES ON THE COURT, LOOKING TO RETURN IN MID-JANUARY
Read more
About the Author
