The NBA before Thursday's Game 1 of Cavaliers-Warriors unveiled a "bot designed to help fans find their favorite highlights via Facebook Messenger," according to Mike Shields of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. If fans "become friends with the new NBA bot on Facebook, they’ll be able to request specific highlights featuring any player from the two teams in the finals." For example, people "can search for 'Steph Curry,' and they’ll immediately have access to highlights." Fans can also "set alerts, and the bot will notify them when clips have been added featuring their favorite players or teams." The league "tapped WSC Sports Technologies, a Tel Aviv-based company that says it is able to sift through sports highlights in real time, to build the app." WSC has "been able to help the NBA put together 250,000 video packages this past season for distribution on its various social media outlets." But for now, the new Facebook NBA bot, "built specifically for this year’s finals, won’t be a revenue driver for the league." However, sources said that if it "takes off, it is possible that the NBA could add highlights from all of its teams next year ... and the bot could eventually feature ads or let fans buy tickets and merchandise." Shields noted the bot "follows along with the league’s overall digital-forward strategy, which embraces marketing the league to fans on various social channels" (WSJ.com, 6/2).
TREND SETTER: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Scott Soshnick noted Curry's $1.99 StephMoji keyboard went on sale Wednesday afternoon and, by Thursday morning, "was the best-selling paid app in Apple’s store." The app features Curry in a "variety of poses, including shooting from the moon, clutching his MVP trophies -- he has two -- and chewing on his mouth guard." There are also emojis "featuring his wife, Ayesha, a host on The Food Network, and his daughter Riley" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/2). SPORTTECHIE's Alex Stanley noted StephMoji "is the latest on a long list of digital ventures that Curry has put his face on." In March, Curry’s college roommate "created a social media platform, Slyce, which involved significant input and marketing on Curry’s end" (SPORTTECHIE.com, 6/2).
