NBA and Youtube TV Announce Partnership For NBA Finals

USA Today reports that the NBA is teaming up with Youtube TV to present the NBA finals, along with the finals of the WNBA and the G League. The partnership will take place over several years. The joint logo (“The Finals presented by Youtube TV”) will be included on all games, including on the court. Youtube TV will have a “major presence” on the NBA’s digital and social media platforms. The Finals begin on May 31 and air on ABC for the 16th year in a row. They will also be available on Youtube TV, which is available in most top markets and over 85% of the US. The Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers last year was the most-watched since 1998. In 2005, the NBA was the first pro sports league to partner with Youtube and launch its own channel, bringing in 4.6 billion views.

NBA senior vice president of global media and business development Dan Rossomondo said: “We’re a league that always wants to look for new and different ways to innovate the fan experience when people are viewing these games, and YouTube TV is an innovate platform. They’ve been an innovator with us since 2005 and we’ve had a long partnership together. This is just a natural extension of that.”

Global Head of Youtube TV and originals marketing Angela Courtin added: “(The) NBA has one of the strongest fanbases. They’ve always been an innovative brand. They were the first league to partner with us at YouTube. They clearly see the value in our audience. When (we) sat down to think about what this could be, it was beyond just the Finals. For us, it was really looking at our users and understanding that sports is a key pillar for them, and how do we partner with the best brands in the business — NBA being one of them, if not the best?“