You are here: Home / Archives for NBA

NBA Fans Leap onto Digital Bandwagon with Soaring Viewership

June 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment

nba

As we mentioned a few weeks ago the NBA has moved to provide access to its playoffs to a wide variety of platforms including iOS mobile devices, PCs and Kindles. The results are now in and it has resulted in record setting traffic.

The push was done by NBA Digital, a group that is jointly managed by the league and Turner Sports and resulted in the just concluded NBA Championship series having an all time cross platform consumption for the league across its properties that include NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com, and WNBA.com.
.
The NBA Mobile had huge increases in page views and video streams with more than 138 million page views, up 91% vs. 2012. There were a total of 4.5 million video streams during the 2013 NBA Finals, which represented a 126% increase over last year. The mobile app that is published by the league, NBA Game Time, had a 110% download increase compared to last years’ finals numbers.

NBA TV’s NBA GameTime experienced all time viewership as well with an average of 128,000 total viewers for both shows, numbers that represent a 28% increase compared with last year.

Hopefully this is a trend for the future among all sports. MLB has embraced mobile access for years while the NFL seems stuck with an older, much less encompassing model. As users continue to cut off cable and broadcast television and rely on Amazon Prime, Netflix and others for much of their viewing options, new methods to gram fans will be needed in the future.

Filed Under: Amazon, Android, Apple, Apps, Basketball, iOS, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NBA, NBA Game Time, Tablets, Turner Sports Tagged With: , , , ,

Friday Grab Bag: Watch NBA Finals on Select Mobile Devices: New Rival to Google Glass

June 7, 2013 by 1 Comment

Just a reminder that with the NBA Finals now being fought out on the court you can still watch the games if you are not in front of your television on ABC. Well on most but not all mobile devices. For users of Apple’s iPhone and iPad there is an app at the iTunes store.

There is also an app for users of the Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD. Viewers using laptops as well as desktop computers can log into ABC.com. Looks like Android users are out in the cold on this for some reason. This is all part of a free access preview running through the end of June.

Asus fights for tablet share with low cost Memo Pad HD7
Asustek’s latest offering is a 7-inch tablet that could create demand for lower cost offerings in the tablet space. The $129 Asus Memo Pad HD7 has a 7-inch display with 1280 x 800 resolution and it includes a 1.2 megapixel front facing camera and a 5 MP rear facing camera. Depending on market it will be available with either 8GB or 16GB (at $149) of storage.

The company also delivered a 10-inch tablet this week, the 10-inch Transformer Pad Infinity that has the Android 4.2 operating system and is powered by a quad-core Tegra processor. It also features a 2048 x 1600 resolution display. Pricing is not yet available according to Arnnet.com.

Intel invests in gesture control technology developer Thalmic Lab
There has been a great deal of talk about the advent of wearable computing devices, from smartwatches to Google Glass and Intel does not want to miss out on the fun. It has joined an investment round to provide $14.5 million in Series A funding to Thalmic Labs.

Thalmic Labs has developed a wearable gesture control device called MYO and said that it will use the funding, which came from a round that was led by Intel Capital and Spark Capital and included Formation 8, First Round Capital and FundersClub, along with the following individual investors: Paul Graham, Marc Benioff, Geoff Ralston, Sam Altman, Garry Tan, Fritz Lanman, Hank Vigil, Tom Wagner, Alex Bard, Michael Litt and Daniel Debow.

Intel will provide access to manufacturing and technology to Thalmic to help it both scale production of its existing devices as well as develop future generations.

Rivals to Google Glass starting to emerge
At the annual Computex trade show a developer called Oculon Optoelectronics surface, that has a rival product to Google Glass that Oculon calls Oculon Smart Glasses. It claims that they will have better battery life, a better display and will cost less, around $500. Well that is settled.

Google Glass is not the first time a developer has created a wearable computer in the form of glasses, although Google’s effort is by far the largest and best financed effort. I wonder if developers that once sneered at the idea of a tablet now want to try and be in front of the acceptance curve rather than behind it and so are working to have products out simultaneously with Google so as to not initially surrender the market?

Filed Under: ABC, Android, Apple, Apps, Asus, Google, Intel, Intel Capital, iOS 6, iPad, iPhone, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NBA, Tablets Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

NBA Playoffs: Available in Live TV, Mobile and Online

April 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment

nba

The NBA Playoffs are around the corner and an onslaught of information and games are out there waiting for you, and the NBA along with its digital partners has organized it so that users can watch live games, catch highlights online and get full information while mobile.

The push is being orchestrated by NBA Digital, and if the name does not mean that much to you, you are are still likely to know a number of the components that make up that entity which include NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADLEAGUE.com, and WNBA.com. It is jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports.

First up is NBA TV which will be broadcasting approximately 1,500 hours of game coverage and will offer the possibility of multi-screen coverage and as many as nine first round games as well as pre- and post-game programming. The network’s live game telecasts will tip off with the Miami Heat hosting the Milwaukee Bucks (first round, Game 2) on Tuesday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

However it should be noted that not all of the games will be on NBA TV, and if you are looking for additional information about games you have watched and others that were played that you did not see then the NBA’s web site, NBA.Com, is the place to look as it will serve as a centralized point for all playoff information including both live video coverage and video highlights.

Among the many offerings at the site a key feature will is the ability to see live games and overtime on TNT Overtime, which also includes some unique camera angles for a different view of the game. For social media fans there is also a section called Social Spotlight where you can track and contribute tweets, photos and other media.

The mobile users have a great deal of access to all of the NBA.Com features as well as ones tailored for mobile platforms. The app, NBA Game Time, is available for both Android and Apple iOS users and provides a bracket view, series dashboards, live scoring, and game alerts, among other features. A version for iPad users, NBA Game Time Sponsored by State Farm also offers synchronized video, scores and updates delivered in real-time.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Apps, Basketball, iOS, iPad, Live sports via mobile, Live Sports Video Consumption, NBA, NBA Game Time, NBC Sports, Smartphone, TNT, Turner Sports Tagged With: , , , , ,

Favourit Bets App Draws Bettors to Gambling Platform

April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

favor

Favourit, a newly launched App from a pair of brothers in Melbourne Australia is reaching out to sports gamblers with an app that both brings together gamblers and sites to take the bets and friends that want to compete together using social media.

Founded in 2012 by brothers Toby and Josh Simmons, Favourit is touting itself as the Social sports betting network it has already attracted $3.6 million in Series A venture funding, a move that alone will help give it a boost over many rivals that are bootstrapping their way to market.

The concept is simple. Fans can gamble real money, where allowed, or virtual currency. The site sets fans up with betting operators for the real thing and with friends via social media for the all important bragging rights, and real betting as well if so desired.

It is designed as a global program, and while it covers some sports that Americans might not have a sporting interest in such as Australian Football League it covers a range of ones that might have a more direct appeal such as the NBA or the NFL.

While it has been available as a Web app and in HTML form for mobile users, studies have shown that increasingly smartphone and tablet users much prefer apps designed specifically for those platforms and that s what the company has done, creating a version that is currently downloadable for free from Apple’s iTunes store and that will run on Apple iOS devices.

Favourit includes real time virtual betting, as well as real betting via regulated partners and player to player bets. It includes stats, previews and live scores of events and has a social stream so that betters can chat and receive up to date news. You can also follow all of your bets and see social trends in betting and has a board that ranks bettors in terms of complexity and allows users to earn “BetIQ” points.

There have been plenty of apps that have sought to leverage the connection between social media and betting, and plenty that have focused just on the betting aspect of the equation. Apps such as 2Bet2, SideBet and others are already participating at some level and its been pretty clear that others are dying to get involved. A hold back, at least in the US, is that it is illegal to bet online. However that may be changing and other countries have already allowed it, as is obvious from what Favourit is doing.

I wonder if the push that the state of New Jersey is having about sports gambling will help open the door to more gambling in the US, particularly online? I guess only time will tell, but in terms of a head start for actual gambling, off shore sites like Favourit have a real advantage

Filed Under: Apple, iOS, Live sports via mobile, NBA, NFL, Smartphone, Social Media, Sports Betting, Tablets Tagged With: , , , , ,

The NBA Continues to Embrace Digital Age with Major Site Redesign

October 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Fans of the National Basketball League are marking off the days until the season officially begins, and the NBA has been working hard at preparing a new digital approach to providing both die hard and casual fans an enhanced digital experience.

The NBA Digital is developing, along with partner Turner Sports, a new TV studio as well as updating and enhancing its presence and capabilities in both the mobile and online segments of the market, seeking to build on last year’s strong growth experience by NBA Digital.

The web page at NBA.Com is receiving an upgrade that will build on the video and social media features that it has but will be working to emphasis them more to make it a more all inclusive felling for users who can use it as a base to experience what their team has done or share with others via social media. There will be six video channels straight from the home page that fans can use and it also provides the ability to customize their website navigation according to their prioritized features.

Video will also be an important feature for the revamped mobile sites as they will also include expanded access to video as well as a new real-time ticker that will provide a running flow of league news.

The TV studio will broadcast 24-hours a day and have a number of feature programs including like “Game Time,” “Fan Night,” “The Jump,” “The Beat” and “Fantasy Insider” as well as a hardwood half-court for demonstrations.

It seems to me that both the NBA and MLB really grasp the need for good social media and mobile access, the NFL not so much. Still they have all made giant steps towards enfranchising mobile and remote fans at a pace faster than their collective initial moves to embrace the Internet, and this is a good thing.

Filed Under: Basketball, Facebook, Live sports via mobile, Major League Baseball, NBA, NFL, Turner Sports Tagged With: ,

ESPN Continues Move into International Sports with FIBA Deal

October 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We have covered a good deal of ESPN’s growing coverage of international soccer but it has now signed a new deal that will have it covering a sport that has been witnessing strong growth internationally for some time-Basketball.

The broadcast giant has signed a multiyear, multi platform deal with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, which will enable the network to present a variety of games and championships.

The scope of the deal is big, with all of the games broadcast over one ESPN property or another with Internet and mobile broadcasts included. The deal will cover the rights to approximately 400 games from six tournaments played between 2013-2015.

ESPN said that it will have telecasts in both English and Spanish, and that all Team USA and Gold Medal Games will air live on ESPN or ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes. The network plans on televise every game of the tournaments across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes.

The agreement covers the FIBA Americas Championships (2013, 2015), the EuroBaskets (2013, 2015), the FIBA Basketball World Cup (2014) and the FIBA World Championship for Women (2014).

It will be interesting to see how well the games do, viewership wide. FIBA uses slightly different rules than the NBA, and I think that many hoops fans are only aware of different international leagues when a star NBA player threatens to play for one.

FIBA is the international body governing 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world and is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) it has been butting heads with the NBA of late.

During the most recent Summer Olympics the NBA floated a proposal that there be an enhanced World Cup of Basketball, much like in soccer. There is currently one now but the according to some reports the new one would be run by the NBA, which would also harvest most of the profits.

The NBA, which gets no profit from the Olympics, paired the proposal with the idea that the NBA stops sending players to the Olympics. SO far this does not seem to be gaining much traction. On the flip side FIBA is now pushing to add 3 on three basketball to the Olympics.

Filed Under: Basketball, ESPN, ESPN3, FIBA, NBA, Olympics Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »