Twitch has expanded and extended the partnership with the National Basketball Association. The streaming giants will now be the exclusive live streaming partner of USA Basketball games through 2020.
Twitch and the NBA are no strangers. Twitch has been home to the NBA G League and NBA 2K League Games, and this month became a streaming partner of the Jr. NBA Global Championship.
USA Basketball is the non-profit governing body of American basketball and fields both men’s and women’s international teams, while the NBA handles media and marketing for the organization. With the FIBA World Cup just around the corner, Twitch will begin with streaming the USA Men’s National Team exhibition games for the event.
“Our partnership with Twitch is an exciting and unique opportunity to showcase USA Basketball events through their robust streaming audience worldwide,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO.
American sports have been looking to Twitch as a powerful digital streaming tool. Fans of football can watch the National Football League’s Thursday Night Football on Twitch. The NBA is unlikely to follow suit, however, as its own media rights are tied up with traditional TV networks like ESPN, ABC, and TNT through the 2025 season.
Both American and international audiences will now have an accessible platform to watch the US Men’s Basketball team dominate the FIBA World Cup beginning Aug. 31.
