The ability to capture every angle of your favorite NBA player on the court just got much easier.
The NBA, Samsung and Twitter have all teamed up in order to bring 360-degree video content to users before and after each Finals game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.
Twitter holds the exclusive rights to provide the 360-degree content, shot with Samsung Gear 360, which users can control by “swiveling their device or dragging the cursor over the videos,” to provide different angles.
However, there is a catch. Twitter still does not support native 360-degree video like Facebook, which forces the user to leave Twitter’s website or app in order to view the content.
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The agreement also excludes in game highlights and provides strictly pre-game warm-ups, shots of the team tunnels before taking the floor, the captains meeting at center court before the tip and post-game activity proceeding the game.
So unfortunately, for now, users will not be able to view the high arching three-point shots, rim-rattling dunks or pinpoint passes on the court from players like LeBron James or Steph Curry in 360-degrees.
@StephenCurry30 arrives for Game 1 of the #NBAFinals. #Gear360 presented by @SamsungMobileUS https://t.co/kwxerqlAdV
— NBA (@NBA) June 3, 2016
Twitter’s Director of Content Partnership and Twitter Amplify, Mike Park, believes the relationship with Samsung gives Twitter the ability to provide users with a diverse visual experience. “We’ve been long time video partners with both the NBA and Samsung, but this specific partnership is really interesting since it’s the first time we are utilizing a 360-degree camera to give fans an incredibly intimate look at the action of the NBA Finals,” said Park.
This is the first time Twitter will push 360-degree content, but it is not the first time the social media company has made a splash in the professional leagues.
After securing a deal with the NFL for the rights to stream Thursday Night Games next season, Twitter hopes to compete with rival company Snapchat, which recently topped 150 million daily users.
The @NBA account will be providing all the content on Twitter, and will be accompanied by @SamsungMobileUS as well.
So keep a look out for 360-degree content while you are scrolling through your timeline, or at least try and fit it in when you are not snickering about the “Jordan crying face” plastered on every relevant NBA image.