Basketball fans in the US have had a glimpse into the future of NBA coverage with the news that Amazon Prime is partnering with leading online gaming company FanDuel.
Prime Video’s 11-year global media rights agreement with the NBA tips off on October 24 with a double-header featuring Boston Celtics at New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers.
That evening will also see the activation of an opt-in live bet tracking and odds view service delivered in-screen, which will be powered by FanDuel’s sportsbook.
“Our partnership as the official odds provider for NBA and WNBA on Prime Video represents a significant milestone in how we connect with basketball fans,” said Mike Raffensperger, President of Sports at FanDuel.
“By integrating custom content into Prime Video’s NBA broadcasts, we will enhance the fan viewing experience and connect with new audiences.”
How Do You Activate Bet Tracking?
NBA fans will need to link their Prime Video profile to their FanDuel account to access the in-view service.
The real-time integration will display any active NBA bets placed by the user as well as the status of any wagers on the game that are no longer in play.
Bet Tracking does not offer the ability to place bets directly on Prime Video, wagering continues to operate through the FanDuel app.
There will also be an immersive Odds View function which will provide a rotating feed of live odds for popular bets, including money lines, spreads, totals, player props, parlays and game props.
As a part of the collaboration, Prime’s NBA analyst Blake Griffin will also act as an ambassador for FanDuel.
The six-time NBA All-Star will appear in promotional campaigns, on social media and in live events supporting FanDuel’s basketball offering.
“It’s important to partner with brands that are invested in enhancing the fan experience,” said Danielle Carney, Head of U.S. Video and Live Sports Sales, Amazon Ads.
“We’re helping to transform how brands reach highly engaged consumers.
“By prioritizing innovation and storytelling we can create unique opportunities for brands to connect with their audiences that are more meaningful.”
Other New Features For Prime’s NBA Coverage
Prime Video will be broadcasting 67 regular-season NBA games, including a new Black Friday doubleheader.
It will also show all games from the Knockout Rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup, including the semi-finals and finals and will have exclusive presentations of the NBA Berlin and London Games in January next year.
With that, Prime Sports will be introducing a new suite of interactive features to benefit NBA die-hards.
Fully Customisable Multiview: Subscribers to Prime Video and NBA League Pass will be able to watch a combination of games provided by both services across most devices, including smartphones and smart TVs.
Fans will be able to choose which game they want to see featured on the main viewing window while keeping an eye on the other matchups in smaller windows provided.
Key Moments: Using Prime’s proprietary technology, Key Moments will capture and curate the main plays from a game, allowing fans to relive or get up to speed with the main highlights.
Rapid Recap: If a viewer joins the game late, Rapid Recap will provide a highlight reel of no more than two minutes to show the best of the action so far, before taking the user seamlessly into the live action.
Player And Team Stats: These can be checked at any time through a game with traditional box score stats and advanced stats powered by AWS.
Shop The Game: NBA merchandise heaven, accessed by either searching for Shop The Game in Amazon’s shopping app or using the remote’s Up button while watching an NBA game.
“Since Day 1, we’ve challenged ourselves to invent features that heighten, customize and add storytelling elements for fans within the live sports experience,” said Jay Marine, Head of Prime Video US, Global Sports & Advertising.
“As we tip off this long-term relationship with the NBA, we’re excited to launch a best-in-class bet tracking experience with FanDuel, as well as a wide-ranging suite of broadcast innovations to enhance Prime Video’s comprehensive NBA offerings.
“As we’ve demonstrated through our coverage of Thursday Night Football and NASCAR, our innovation teams are continuously raising the bar and exploring what is possible within our produced coverage and add-on subscriptions.”
