NBA Unveils Plan For Broadcast Enhancements For Season Restart
The NBA revealed today a multidimensional plan for in-venue and broadcast enhancements it will introduce when its season resumes in Orlando, placing an emphasis on an immersive experience intended to bring fans closer to the game even though they won't be physically in attendance.
The most unique element is that, while games will be played in empty venues, some 320 fans for each game will be invited to appear live on the "Michelob ULTRA Courtside" 17-foot video boards surrounding the court. Those fans will have the opportunity to digitally interact with each other throughout the game using Microsoft’s “Together mode” to create a virtual experience by removing fans from their individual backgrounds and bringing them together in a shared visual space that will be seen both through the broadcast and in the venue. This new experience -- the first to go live as a result of the NBA’s alliance with Microsoft -- gives participating fans the feeling of sitting next to one another at a live game, while players experience their energy in-venue. The fans will be selected by home teams, and the overall process used to select fans will be determined by each team.
"What we've been focused on is creating the most genuine experience possible for our fans watching at home but also for our players in the arena," Sara Zuckert, NBA Head of Next Gen Telecast, said in a conference call with reporters. "And so we wanted to create something that felt real and gave fans the opportunity to be present and to also interact digitally with our digital cheering function without crossing that line into something that seems over the top."
In collaboration with broadcast partners ESPN and Turner Sports, more than 30 cameras, including many in robotic form, will be repositioned closer to the court and showcase never-before-seen camera angles in places that are otherwise not accessible with fans in the arena. Below-the-rim, off-court and rail cameras are just a few examples. Microphones around the court will capture enhanced sounds from the floor, including sneaker squeaks and ball bounces. DJs and announcers will be in-venue to help replicate the sounds and experiences teams are accustomed to.
What's more, all viewers will have the ability to impact visual effects in the venue through a virtual cheering experience. Fans can digitally cheer for their team through the NBA App and NBA.com and on Twitter using team hashtags throughout the game. Virtual cheering will be reflected on the video boards in-venue with graphics and animations that capture the level of fan engagement around the world. Fans will also have the opportunity to see their videos featured through TikTok Challenges. Snapchat's “ground segmentation” augmented reality technology will also give fans an opportunity to explore a virtual rendering of the official court in Orlando via a Lens wherever they are.
NBA Digital, jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports, will provide customized viewing options on NBA League Pass and NBA TV via the NBA App and NBA.com. Fans will have access to alternate feeds with new camera angles, enhanced graphics, gaming options, in-language and influencers calling the game with a focus on areas such as analytics, fashion and music. Fans will also have access to live NBA Pick’Em: Trivia for every NBA game.
"We are the documenters, first and foremost," said Tim Corrigan, ESPN's Senior Coordinating Producer. "We're going to document the game, as we always have. But I think what you'll find with some of these new (cameras) will be super dynamic. It will be cinematic in ways that we've seen in testing. Teams are going back to their benches and as they are going back to their benches the branding comes up behind them on the boards. It's pretty spectacular and very rich. I think people are going to be pretty excited. It's super visual but doesn't compete with the game."
