NBA to stream local games live?

The NBA is joining the growing list of content providers going direct to the consumer. This is no different that any other content owner who has found a new audience via IP instead of broadcast or cable. NBC’s experience with the Olympics has shown that offering content on the net is an audience builder. That goes against the grain of the broadcasters (and most of the old media’s) official line on net content.

Local Sports bars may soon be operating media PC’s on broadband connections to stay competitive. Conventional Third Pipe wisdom states that the zero sum game does not apply to audience building. Ears and eyeballs found on the net are also broadcast viewers, often never found in the ever accelerating ratings driven turnover of broadcast programming.

The National Basketball Association plans to break a new barrier for U.S. sports leagues by streaming live games to local markets on the Web.

According to a story published Monday by the Sports Business Journal, the NBA plans to negotiate contracts for its member teams so they can stream live games to targeted local online audiences this fall. Bill Koenig, executive vice president of business affairs, told the industry publication: “We hope to have a model in place this season. Our opening up of the rights will certainly be done.”

The rights Koenig referred to have been a sticky issue since the advent of streaming video and the rush of sports fans to the Internet. Cable operators and regional sports networks hold various exclusive rights to broadcast live games via network TV, cable, radio, and satellite; and they haven’t wanted to see the Internet cannibalize their prime-time business by allowing anyone to access games on demand. (Cnet)

I’m eager to see the usually outspoken Mark Cuban chime in on this. He owns both one of the teams and a cable channel and has not been a big fan of net content “sucking up” his precious bandwidth. Time for some Third Pipe thinking Mr. Mark!