The organisation and broadcaster Turner Sports are trying to allow fans to watch the games together during coronvirus stay-at-home restrictions
NBA and Turner Sports have turned to interactive technology company LiveLike to bring virtual watch parties to fans for the playoffs.
LiveLike’s social viewing technology is now integrated into the NBA app and NBA.com, as well as being set to be a key part of TNT Overtime. Fans will be able to invite friends to private watch parties for the playoffs, where they can engage in group chats that are spoiler free and synced to the live action.
This is LiveLike’s first major US sport partnership for their watch party technology, and marks their new offer to integrate their technology directly into already existing platforms. This cuts costs as well as the time taken to get the features in place. In the past it has worked with Sky Sports in the UK, helping them with their Premier League coverage.
Co-founder and CEO of LiveLike, Miheer Walavalkar, said of the news: “Bringing an interactive fan experience to the NBA Playoffs with Turner Sports is a key milestone for our company, as we continue to evolve and seek new ways to connect fans with the content they love – particularly at a time during which external factors such as travel and stay-at-home restrictions are forcing us all to re-think what it means to engage with live sports and other events.”
“One of our first investors was the late David Stern (former NBA commissioner), and making sports viewing a more social experience was something we talked about often. It’s therefore especially satisfying to be doing just that, while working closely with a sport he loved and a league that he served as commissioner for three decades.”