Starting on Saturday, Mar. 16, basketball fans in the U.S. will be able purchase 10 minutes of access to NBA League Pass for just 99 cents. This new microtransaction option provides for 10 minutes of real time—not game time—access to all live and archived games for viewers using the NBA app or NBA.com. A clear undercurrent motivating this new feature is the rollout of legalized sports betting.
NBA Digital, which is operated jointly by the league and Turner Sports, has been experimenting with incremental offerings for a while, starting with a single-game purchasing option for $6.99 a few years ago. Earlier this season, NBA League Pass started offering declining prices after each quarter: $4.99 after the first, $2.99 at halftime, and $1.99 at the start of the fourth quarter (including any possible overtime). The 10-minute option has been available internationally since late January.
As NBA SVP for fantasy and gaming Scott Kaufman-Ross noted at last month’s SportTechie State of the Industry conference, games are already streamed on betting platforms internationally. That combination is likely to arrive in the U.S. imminently.
“The integration of content and sports betting will happen sooner rather than later,” Kaufman-Ross said, adding that the league has been making sure to create “byte-sized chunks that might be interesting to different consumers. Certainly that will play a role in sports betting.”
Fans can use their 10 minutes to watch the same game or bounce around to several ongoing or prior games.
“We’re committed to providing choices within our NBA League Pass product, and this new feature offers even more options for our passionate fans,” said Mark Johnson, SVP/GM Digital, Turner Sports, in a statement. “With the launch of this 10-Minute Pass, fans can watch live NBA games on their time and across any device. We’re excited to partner with the NBA as the first major sports league to open up this live digital opportunity.”
SportTechie Takeaway
NBA commissioner Adam Silver first shared this vision of selling carved-up slivers of action at CES in 2017. The league followed through on an unannounced test of 99-cent fourth quarters in March 2018, and the rollout of the quarterly purchasing system last fall. This is a natural evolution in the product, and short segments will enhance opportunities for fans wanting to make live, in-play wagers.