The NBA is leveling up the fan experience this season, with a major assist from Sportradar.
The partnership between the globally renowned basketball league and one of the world's premier sports data companies has already resulted in cutting edge innovations, particularly around data and player tracking. And on the eve of the 2024-25 season, Sportradar has announced a series of "innovative fan engagement solutions" designed to make the NBA viewing experience more entertaining than ever.
The highlight of Sportradar's big reveal: a virtualized 3D live match tracker that will provide fans and sports bettors with the most unique opportunities yet to follow their favorite players.
According to Sportradar, the technology "transforms real-time official NBA data into 3D visualizations that are delivered in a hyper-personalized stream, featuring customizable viewing angles."
This tech, made possible through the use of 14 strategically placed cameras in every NBA arena, gives fans viewing options similar to what they might find in an NBA2K video game. They can watch from the traditional TV side view, switch to more of a courtside perspective or choose to see plays unfold from directly overhead.
Blaz Zitnik, Sportradar's senior VP of betting entertainment tools, said that latency will be below one second, suggesting that the viewer will see the virtual action smoothly and in as close to real time as is technologically possible.
The technology also tracks 29 skeletal points on every player on the floor, providing a depth of individual up-to-the-second player monitoring never seen before.
"We can understand if a finger, a knee or a hip are leaning in the right direction to score a basket, or if player accelerations are getting slower throughout the game," Zitnik said during a recent media briefing. "This (will) enable us to better understand the game, predict the outcomes and generate insights to enhance storytelling."
Bettors will also have the ability to key in on any player on the floor in order to more closely monitor their performance. This customization includes selecting the preferred camera angle for the virtualization, and accessing stats accrued to date along with projections based on what has happened to that point.
"The bettor can take on the role of a director," Zitnik said.
4Sight Streaming is here
Sportradar is also enhancing the normal NBA viewing experience though the implementation of 4Sight Streaming.
This technology uses AI learning to produce animated overlays, immediate on-screen stat updates and actionable insights generated from the company's vast trove of data. One example shown during the media briefing had a giant +3 graphic flash across the screen following a made 3-pointer, followed by an update on the teams' "Race to 20" betting prop.
The tech advancements extend to broadcast and sports betting partnerships as well, primarily through Sportradar's advanced visualizations, featuring cutting-edge graphic presentations of 3D animations, heat maps and player performance metrics, to name a few. One example provided: animations detailing a player's shot chart, with the key player stat prominently featured in the background.
A new and improved emBET
Sportradar also unveiled a revamped version of its emBET service, which allows rights-holders and operators to incorporate real-time betting information into their live streams.
The companion technology, announced earlier this year, will now include bet sync, which allows bettors to track their wagers within the stream. Sportradar also announced it will be expanding its live betting market offerings, which are also available directly within the stream.
The service will be available on connected TVs and Android devices for the first time in 2024-25.
"Sportradar is committed to deepening our longstanding partnership with the NBA, while also supporting betting operators and media companies in capitalizing on the immense global popularity of the league," Eric Conrad, the company's executive VP of rights and strategic partnerships for U.S. and LatAm, said in a statement. "Sportradar’s proprietary technology, underpinned by the application of powerful AI to deep data, continues to reimagine how fans interact with the NBA. We are excited by what the future holds, driven by our constant innovation.”
