The NBA is launching its first live studio show dedicated to sports betting, a 30-minute program that will debut later this week on NBA TV and run through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
It’s part of a wider media initiative that the league is calling “NBA Bet,” which will also feature a new gambling section of the NBA’s website and app, and a new social media channel dedicated to gambling storylines. It’ll be handled through NBA Digital, a partnership between the league and WarnerMedia’s Turner Sports.
NBA Bet is the latest move the league has made to embrace the growing sports gambling industry, which is providing new revenue streams and new forms of fan engagement for the NBA, its teams and its media partners. The league already has gambling data deals and official sportsbook sponsors while offering an alternate betting telecast for select games.
The NBA’s partners in NBA Bet are plentiful. The show, which will be shot in the WarnerMedia studios in Atlanta, will be presented by BetMGM, the 50/50 joint venture between MGM and Entain. Already a league partner, BetMGM’s odds and data will be integrated throughout the program.
The Action Network will do programming for the social media account and provide content for the NBA Bet website and app verticals. Yahoo Sports and Turner-owned Bleacher Report will also contribute to the NBA Bet section of the website and app.
The NBA and Turner are partners in NBA Digital, which covers all of the NBA’s digital assets, including NBA TV, the NBA app, its website and its League Pass platform.
