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League Pass keeps mobile in mind with improved camera angle and weekly VR feed

The NBA and media partner Turner Sports are reworking their League Pass out-of-market package to include a mobile-optimized camera angle and a weekly virtual reality feed.

The 2016-17 version of League Pass will feature a new home-feed camera angle that is zoomed in closer to game action, and is specifically designed to be used on smartphones and tablets. The addition of the new angle arrives as roughly 70 percent of all League Pass consumption now occurs on mobile devices, league officials said, with that number continuing to grow.

“We’ve spent a lot of time really trying to perfect the overall experience,” said Melissa Brenner, NBA senior vice

The screen below shows the closer camera angle set to debut this season.
president of digital media. “We’ve been testing this angle with highlights, and found it performs much better for mobile. Our mantra for quite some time has been to deliver the right content on the right platform at the right time. Now we’re looking to do that for each device as well.”

The deployment of the new mobile camera angle for League Pass will involve setting up an additional camera location in each NBA arena that will supplement regular productions by regional and national TV networks. Standard home and away feeds will remain available as part of League Pass.

The virtual reality coverage, meanwhile, is the result of a new partnership with California-based NextVR in which a fully produced game will be delivered each week in the enhanced format, complete with graphics and announcers.
 
The first such game will be Thursday’s home opener of the Sacramento Kings’ new Golden 1 Center, with the virtual reality coverage ultimately involving all 30 NBA teams during the course of this season.

“We’re now to the point in VR where one-off tests aren’t going to be enough anymore. We needed to create a full slate of regular programming in order to keep growing and innovating,” said Jeff Marsilio, NBA vice president of global media distribution. “We believe we have something that will push the envelope in this space, and bring the game closer to all our fans, particularly those who won’t have the opportunity to see a game live.”

Pricing for League Pass will remain the same as last season, with the leaguewide package costing $199.99, a single-team package for $119.99, and a single-game option for $6.99 per game. Purchasing of the single-game option will again be available through Facebook and Twitter.

The core game feeds will be supplemented by expanded pregame coverage of shootarounds and warmups, an expansion from prior years in which League Pass feeds typically initiated in concert with the start of TV coverage.

“This is a way we can extend the game window and provide an additional opportunity for fan engagement,” said Mark Johnson, Turner Sports senior vice president of digital.

This year’s version of League Pass also will be the first in which the live game streams will be supported by iStream-Planet, a video-streaming outfit Turner purchased last year.

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