Fast Company Names NBA Third Most Innovative Company

Fast Company credited the NBA for striking early to bring esports inhouse with the 2K LeagueNBAE/GETTY IMAGES

The NBA ranked No. 3 on FAST COMPANY's '19 list of the Most Innovative Companies, and the magazine's Jeff Beer notes the league in '18 "broke attendance records for the fourth straight season," saw its streaming service grow subscribers by 63% and had total revenue increase 25%. Another reason for the NBA's ranking was the NBA 2K League, the "first extension of pro sports into esports, which has 21 teams and games that stream on Twitch." The NBA last year also "made a deal" with MGM Resorts Int'l, "making it the first pro league to integrate real-time data into a gambling platform and enable the king of in-game micro-betting that keeps viewers watching each and every play." Beer: "Just as important, the league has improved the on-the-court product" (FASTCOMPANY.com, 2/19). Fast Company Senior Editor Amy Farley said the NBA is "reaching people around the globe," and was "really smart and very early to bring esports inhouse" with the 2K League. Farley: "What's exciting about that is that people around the country, around the world, who never can actually get to a game will engage with the sports, engage with the team and the individual players and feel really connected to the sports." Farley added the NBA has been "really quick to embrace the real-time micro-betting in game" ("The Exchange," CNBC, 2/20).

MORE COMPANIES RECOGNIZED: There were several other organizations with sports ties that were mentioned in Fast Company's rankings. Disney (No. 4), Peloton (No. 14) and Fanatics (No. 40) joined the NBA in the overall rankings, while Disney, The Players' Tribune and Barstool Sports were included in the Media list, while MLS ranked second in the Social Media list. LAFC and SeatGeek were the top two entrants on the Live Events list, joined by the Golden Knights and Allied Esports. The following is the full listings for the Top 10 on its Sports list (THE DAILY).

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