(UTV | COLOMBO) – The NBA has begun a multiyear deal with Microsoft, one that will see the American basketball league develop a streaming service that promises to ‘transform’ how fans experience the league’s hoops action.
Microsoft, with the help of its Azure cloud computing infrastructure, will work with the league to create a direct-to-consumer platform that will use artificial intelligence to deliver personalized live game broadcasts and other content.
The platform is expected to include NBA League Pass, the subscription service that provides access to out-of-market games, and overall is said to be an enhanced version of the NBA App. Microsoft’s AI tech will help the platform will learn what each fan likes and will present optimized content over time.
Development of the platform has already started and aims to go live as soon as possible. At a minimum, for the 2020-21 season, the work being done under the partnership will show up in new NBA stats in game telecasts.
The news comes as most professional sports leagues, including the NBA, are shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, sports programming still accounted for around 10% of viewing time on Sunday at the end of March – even with no live games. Around 9% of U.S. adults overall viewing time on Sundays is devoted to sports events.