LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE 360 NORTH AMERICA: Christine Pantoya, SVP mobile strategy at the National Basketball Association (NBA), heralded mobile as “the heart of delivering our content” as the game continues to see its popularity grow worldwide.

Speaking during the keynote, Pantoya said NBA is becoming “international in its appeal with fans that are younger and more tech savvy”, while revealing the sport is now broadcast in 215 countries worldwide, across 47 languages, and a third of its players come from an international background.

As part of the mobile strategy, she said the association was committed to introducing new technology innovations to the sport, stating “at this point, technology is serving solely to improve the game”, but warned that there “had to be a balance” to ensure it did not have an impact on the overall experience.

Pantoya was speaking ahead of tonight’s season opener, where she revealed the NBA “will become the first ever league to broadcast a whole game in Virtual Reality”.

During the presentation, Pantoya talked through some of the innovations the sport was introducing via mobile intended to improve fans engagement, as well as the work being done to localise content in different international markets, ensuring a better experience for its global fan base.

“95 per cent of the world’s content is English, so it’s a big focus for us. We have been looking to engage cultural partners and find ways to become culturally relevant,” she said.

“We are also introducing dedicated apps tailored around improving the fans’ overall experience, this can range from knowing where to park, mobile ticketing, and even in the retail space. We are looking to put consumers in the centre, and they can then create their own personal experience.”

A year round season
Pantoya said mobile was also changing fundamental aspects of the sport, with things like social media meaning “the season becomes a year round thing”.

“We found that 70 per cent of conversations during the finals of Twitter was relative to NBA,” she said. “After the finals, there’s the draft, and people using technology means the conversation continues. We also drafted our first Indian player last year, and this meant huge engagement in India. It becomes a year round season.

“People are now interested in everything about the sport, including what the players are doing during the offseason for example. Mobile is making NBA a lifestyle.”

The former Verizon executive, and 20-year veteran of the mobile industry, also noted the importance of spectrum in ensuring that fans are able to consume content on mobile and on the go.

“NBA’s fan base is global and by viewing their user behaviour, we know that spectrum is key to what we are aiming to do.”