For the second time this month, YouTube TV announced a partnership with one of the major professional sports leagues, agreeing to be the first-ever presenting partner of the NBA Finals.
As part of their multi-year agreement with the NBA, “The Finals presented by YouTube TV” will be prominently visible during all Finals games, including in the arena and on the court.
Last fall, YouTube TV was Major League Baseball’s first-ever presenting sponsor of the World Series, which led to recently expanding their partnership through 2019. Also this month, YouTube TV announced it would carry NBA TV and MLB Network on its cable-free platform.
During YouTube TV’s sponsorship of the 2017 World Series, Major League Baseball appreciated the platform’s innovative marketing campaigns to help retain the audience’s attention during advertisements. The NBA has been a modern league looking to stay ahead of the curve for years, making their relationship with YouTube TV logical.
“We’re a league that always wants to look for new and different ways to innovate the fan experience when people are viewing these games, and YouTube TV is an innovate platform,” Dan Rossomondo, NBA senior vice president of global media and business development, told USA TODAY Sports. “They’ve been an innovator with us since 2005 and we’ve had a long partnership together. This is just a natural extension of that.”
The NBA was the first professional sports league to partner with YouTube, launching its own channel on the platform over a decade ago. The NBA Finals will be broadcast by ABC for the 16th consecutive season. The Finals will be available via YouTube TV which has ABC and NBA TV as two of more than 50 networks available on the cable-free platform.
Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
