By David Rumsey
Feb. 3
The ever-innovating “Inside the NBA” on TNT has turned to the blockchain to interact with its fans. Today, we check out the model new effort that debuted last night time.
Also:
- NFL bringing metaverse live performance to Roblox
- NBC Sports Next’s newest tech deal
- Startup sees opportunity to measure taking half in surfaces’ impact
- New Monumental Sports & Entertainment venue to host NBA 2K League
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports on last night’s “Inside the NBA” on TNT broadcast debuted B/R Watch 2 Earn, a new blockchain-based trivia and fan rewards program.
Viewers receive digital tokens for appropriately answering trivia questions that might be redeemed for NFT video highlights from “Inside the NBA” or different real-world prizes. NFT gaming company Immutable X developed B/R W2E tokens, which bridges linear television with Web3 collectibles. On-screen trivia questions give consideration to basketball and aspects associated to Inside the NBA that ardent followers would know, corresponding to details associated to hosts Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal.
“We need to get to a spot where you collect tokens and you’ll impact what you might even see on air,” Yang Adija, SVP of Digital League Business Operations, Growth & Innovation at WBD Sports told SBJ’s Andrew Cohen. WBD Sports will flip signature TV moments from “Inside the NBA” into digital collectibles. “Shaq getting pushed [by Kenny Smith] through that Christmas tree, I suppose that might be a nice one to have,” Adija says.
WBD Sports plans to continue the trivia integrations for all “Inside the NBA” broadcasts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays in addition to TNT’s NBA postgame coverage. The network hopes to increase B/R Watch 2 Earn to different programming. WBD’s Bleacher Report plans to launch a centralized B/R Marketplace later this 12 months.
Questions will give attention to basketball and aspects associated to Inside the NBA that ardent followers would know
The NFL is launching a new experience in Roblox and will help a league-first metaverse live performance carried out by hip-hop star Saweetie and presented by Intuit, my colleague Joe Lemire notes.
The efficiency will debut next Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET within the recently opened Warner Music Group’s Rhythm City portion of Roblox, and it’ll repeat hourly until Super Bowl Sunday. In conjunction with the efficiency, digital collectibles will turn into out there on the market in the Roblox market.
As part of the Intuit partnership on Roblox, a model new experience will launch on Feb. 4 referred to as Super NFL Tycoon to help promote monetary literacy in youth. Metaverse content material firm Gamefan helped develop all three new Roblox experiences: Super NFL Tycoon, Rhythm City and the Saweetie Super Bowl Concert.
NBC Sports Next has partnered with an organization from the Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech accelerator program, BookSeats.com.
In an effort to continue expanding the NBC Sports tech division’s journey choices via its GolfPass platform, the collaboration will present an end-to-end journey package deal booking experience that offers a simplified, one-stop on-line vacation spot for golfers to book their subsequent golf trip, including airways, motels and tee occasions worldwide.
BookSeats’ platform permits users to build and e-book their event journey through a reside market. The company has largely labored instantly with groups and leagues by offering custom options around events. BookSeats turns into the preferred reserving engine resolution for GolfPass, letting customers see airline and resort stock and pricing in real-time.
NBC Sports Next in September acquired youth and amateur sports activities streamer Rapid Replay, which also got here from a Comcast sports tech accelerator program.
The newest company featured in SBJ Tech‘s Startup Series is Raw Stadia, which makes use of its performance analytics tech to enable its customers to measure the impact of the enjoying surface on the athletes.
“Nobody is wanting at the impact of the taking part in floor on the athletes,” Raw Stadia CEO & co-founder Jan Stryckers said. “That’s the place we are very new and innovative available in the market in our attempt to visualize that influence on the player. It offers the sports activities efficiency and medical employees another knowledge set and a missing piece to the puzzle to make higher choices concerning their players’ welfare and performance.”
Read the full profile right here.
With a price of as a lot as and over $100,000, Raw Stadia targets elite sports activities golf equipment in baseball, soccer and soccer
- The NBA 2K League has partnered with Monumental Sports & Entertainment to host the 2023 season at the model new District E venue, positioned adjacent to Capital One Arena in DC. The esports league operated out of Indianapolis last season and N.Y. for the four seasons earlier than that.
- Financial companies app MoneyLion has launched a new rewards system for NASCAR fans referred to as MoneyLion Hot Pass. MoneyLion, a sponsor for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing staff, will offer prizes via HotPass similar to 23XI merchandise, VIP access to races, and meet and greets with drivers Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.
- ICYMI: Wilson is rolling out a brand new high-tech tennis racket today after more than four years of development. SBJ’s Tom Friend has extra particulars.
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Image credits: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (Inside the NBA); Courtesy of Raw Stadia (startup)