How the NBA embraced the OTT Model

The Over-The-Top (OTT) market is becoming increasingly popular with seemingly every company – sports or otherwise – offering an online video platform.

One of the front-runners in this market is the NBA who have provided fans of the sport with NBA LEAGUE PASS, allergist where they can access – in addition to games – unmatched library content and NBA studio shows.

With other rival sports having their own OTT formats – whether that be NHL NETWORK or EUROLEAGUE TV.

Xavier Bidault, medicine is Senior Director of Digital at the NBA EMEA, he explains what they have to do to stand out as on OTT platform.

He said: “We don’t compare NBA LEAGUE PASS to any other products but rather concentrate on how we can improve our offering to fans on a constant basis.”

“Since we were one of the first professional sports leagues to offer a subscription product internationally we have been able to improve over the past couple of years based on the experience we have been able to gather.

“For example, we made a lot of progress with the different packages we offer.

“We have also refined how we market the service with free preview windows at key moments of the season, promotional packages around big events such as a NBA All-Star package or a Christmas Day pass and price discounts throughout the year.”

The control that the NBA has over creating its own OTT product means it can offer these deals, packages and passes exclusively to benefit their fans and increase demand and uptake in their LEAGUE PASS model.

Bidault; as an expert in the field, explains the benefits of the model to the fanbase.

He added: “We have up to 1,300 NBA games per season and up to 15 games per day so our TV partners can only show a fraction of that.

“The main benefit for fans is the ability to watch every game played during the entire NBA Season.

“Another benefit is the flexibility NBA LEAGUE PASS offers to fans. Games are available live or on demand for up to 3 seasons.

“Once subscribed, you can access NBA LEAGUE PASS on computers, tablets, mobile phones and connected devices.”

According to Kris Nagel, a Senior Vice-President at payment service provider Vindicia, one of the most important factors in creating a successful OTT product is the personalisation of the product.

This is something he believes the NBA have used successfully.

He said: “The thing about OTT services is the competition is absolutely intense, the adoption rate is accelerating but so are the number of players in the market and the number of choices for customers on where they spend their viewing hours.

“Offering personalisation is very key; Over the Top TV is wonderful for giving you the data to make better business decisions.

“NBA has been providing an OTT offering and they own their rights to stream, but they have modified the ways users can purchase a particular game in a particular market at a particular time.

“They’ve done a wonderful job of evaluating their data from the video platform and billing platform to determine what offers to give to customers.”

But what does the future hold for the OTT market and particularly for the NBA LEAGUE PASS model?

Bidault continues: “We are always looking to improve our product offering.

“That is why every year we send a survey to our fans to get their opinion about the service and see what we can improve.

“Next year we are planning to re-launch our NBA app to make it truly local and customized.

“We are also looking to make NBA LEAGUE PASS to more platforms and improve its customization by offering more local payment solutions and more local content.”

With the increased platforms and increasing demand for OTT, it appears the market will continue to grow, through personalisation, financial deals and free tasters bringing in new customers. As the next generation grow-up in a multi-platform and on-demand world, surely OTT can only continue to expand.