Twitter Signs NBA Deal to Stream New Shows

Twitter Inc. has scored a live-streaming deal with the National Basketball Association that will for the first time broadcast original programming created exclusively for the social media company.

The two sides said Tuesday that the NBA will produce two new shows that Twitter will stream on its website and app beginning in the 2016-2017 season. The first one will be a weekly pregame show for both Twitter users and visitors, while the other show is still in the works.

Unlike its high-profile deal with the National Football League announced earlier this year, however, this partnership won't include the digital rights to stream actual games. Twitter won the rights to stream 10 NFL games for this coming season. The digital streaming rights to the NBA game are owned by Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN and Time Warner Inc.'s Turner Broadcasting unit as part of a long-term media deal signed in 2014.

In addition, the NBA plans to double the amount of digital content it creates for Twitter, Vine and Periscope with more in-game highlights, behind-the-scenes shots, footage of player arrivals and live streams of news conferences and interviews. The NBA and Twitter will split the revenue earned from ads sold on these video clips.

Twitter is trying to win over new users by offering exclusive content to thwart stagnant growth. It is banking on live-streaming in a big way even as competitors like Facebook Inc. power ahead with their own live-video ambitions. Twitter live-streamed Wimbledon and recently announced plans to the do same for several Bloomberg TV programs.

Twitter's current live-stream of the Republican National Convention—thanks to a deal with CBS to stream the network's coverage of both conventions—indicates how the NBA shows will look on the 140-character messaging service. The live broadcast will be pinned at the top of a screen with tweets that include a specific hashtag showing up in a continuing stream below.

For the NBA, the deal is the latest in a string of experiments looking to tap various social media channels as audiences spend more time on their phones. During the NBA Finals this year, it used Facebook Live, the social network's live-streaming tool, to broadcast exclusive interviews with the players. At the same time, the NBA unveiled a Facebook Messenger Bot that helped fans find highlights of their favorite players. It subsequently launched a bot that could tell fans about their teams' latest draft picks during the NBA Draft a few weeks later.

Twitter and its six-second video-looping service Vine have been a good fit for the NBA, which boasts the most number of followers of any sports league on both platforms.

"We're excited about bringing live content to Twitter, which has proven to be an ideal destination for real-time sports conversations," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a prepared statement. "We've seen technology bring fans closer to our game, teams and players in ways we could have only imagined a decade ago. This expanded partnership will help feed our fans' growing demand for the NBA by more deeply integrating the league across Twitter's many platforms."

Write to Yoree Koh at yoree.koh@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 19, 2016 09:35 ET (13:35 GMT)

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