The NBA has struck a multiyear deal with fast-growing audio streaming firm TuneIn to have live NBA and WNBA games become part of the company’s premium service.
NBA games will be included in the TuneIn Premium package beginning with the 2016-17 season this fall, while WNBA games will be folded in starting in May. NBA Development League contests also will be included in the package, likely starting this fall.
The Bay Area-based TuneIn last summer debuted its TuneIn Premium audio service, costing $7.99 per month, based in part on deals with MLB Advanced Media, the NFL and the English Premier League to air live baseball and football games and soccer matches. The inclusion of basketball further rounds out the core role that sports occupies in the development of TuneIn Premium.
“This really helps further set the foundational role that sports plays in TuneIn Premium,” said Kevin Straley, TuneIn chief content officer. “Having the NBA now in the fold also really creates a full 365-day value proposition for play-by-play content.”
TuneIn also is aligned with the NHL and has live play-by-play hockey on its free tier. TuneIn overall reaches more than 60 million users per month around the world.
Financial terms of the NBA-TuneIn deal were not disclosed. But similar to TuneIn’s relationships with other sports properties, the NBA alignment will include supplemental content to add to the live games. A 24-hour NBA channel will feature a mix of NBA TV content and original programming created exclusively for the TuneIn platform, and users will be able to replay the last 10 games for each of the 30 teams.
“This is right in our sweet spot. TuneIn’s reach and breadth of distribution are strong fits for what we’re trying to do, particularly globally,” said David Denenberg, NBA Entertainment senior vice president of global media distribution and business affairs.
