NBA Digital has collaborated with daily fantasy partner FanDuel to create NBA InPlay, a new mobile fantasy game designed to sync with nationally televised NBA games on TNT, NBA TV, ESPN, and ABC. InPlay is somewhat similar to other second-screen companion games that have debuted in recent years, but involves users picking a player each quarter and activating “turbo boosts” in real time to accumulate fantasy points. NBA InPlay, designed as a fan engagement tool to promote viewership of national games, will be free to play with prizes for top players including a $35,000 credit to presenting sponsor Autotrader and tickets to the ’17 NBA Finals. The Autotrader sponsorship for NBA InPlay was sold by the NBA Digital partnership of the league and Turner Sports, and extends the involvement for the league’s official car search engine. The product will debut tonight during TNT’s doubleheader of Lakers-Heat and Spurs-Clippers and appear in time for Sunday’s Christmas Day games. It will be marketed across NBA, NBA Digital and Turner Sports platforms, including TNT’s “Inside The NBA.” NBA Senior VP/Digital Media Melissa Rosenthal Brenner said, “We are always looking at ways to enhance the viewing experience, drive people to tune in to our broadcasts and increase the time spent watching live games. NBA InPlay has the potential to meet these objectives while offering our fans an engaging, new way to experience the game.” NBA InPlay automatically syncs to each viewer’s telecast using the microphone on their mobile device, allowing for the game to perform in full concert with the broadcast. The development of NBA InPlay also represents an effort by FanDuel to diversify its product portfolio and veer in part away from the more overt financial elements of some of its other games.
