NBA Joins Cluster of Sports Outlets Trying to Help Fans Find Growing Array of Streaming Games

Where can I locate the next game of my beloved NBA team, especially now that more media organizations are covering professional basketball? The league is stepping in to assist.

As the start of the upcoming season approaches, the NBA is rolling out a new initiative to help fans discover which games they want to watch, whether local matchups or national broadcasts available on platforms like Disney’s ESPN and ABC, NBCUniversal’s NBC and Peacock, alongside Amazon’s Prime Video.

“We are dedicated to ensuring fans know where to find our games,” said Sara Zuckert, an NBA senior vice president responsible for the league’s mobile app. “With two new media partners this season, we understand that fans might be uncertain about where to locate our games.”

The NBA is introducing a new “Tap to Watch” technology as its games increasingly transition to streaming services, influenced by recent agreements with NBCU and Amazon, featuring a variety of games that were previously held by Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney. Fans accessing the NBA App, NBA.com, and team-related apps and websites will receive guidance on how to watch games through local and national broadcasts as well as digital platforms like Google, Meta, X, Snap, Reddit, Roku, and Dapper Labs.

“The live game is central to the NBA fan experience,” Zuckert added, emphasizing the need for easier access to digital viewing options as “essential.” This new technology will navigate fans to the platform broadcasting a game and will assist non-subscribers in signing up for services.

The NBA isn’t the only sports league focusing on accessibility. Last August, ESPN attempted to enhance its appeal to fans by launching a “Where to Watch” search function within its mobile app and website, aimed at helping fans who have grown frustrated searching for their favorite teams as sports events increasingly shift to new broadband giants, league-operated platforms, and local venues.

“I believe ensuring that fans know where to find games is a priority for all of us. We are seeing a 40 percent increase in national games compared to last year, but people must know how to access them,” stated Tim Corrigan, senior vice president of sports production at Disney’s ESPN, during a recent press conference. “It’s a significant responsibility for all three partners, alongside the league, to consistently communicate where fans can watch games, especially with the added broadcasts on ABC and NBC, which is crucial and will enhance availability.”

These initiatives underscore the rising significance of keeping track of sports as broadcasting rights become more fragmented across different platforms. Sports remain a unique TV offering capable of drawing substantial simultaneous audiences, which advertisers and distributors highly seek. Consequently, the costs involved in keeping sports programming have escalated dramatically. With such high fees, media entities are limiting their broadcast packages, causing prominent leagues like the NBA to be distributed across various networks and streaming services. Coupled with changing local rights scenarios, it’s no surprise that sports enthusiasts often find it challenging to quickly access the games they want at the right time.