Twitch has reached a partnership with the NBA and USA Basketball to exclusively stream all USA Men’s National Team exhibition games, the three companies announced Tuesday morning. Twitch will stream the games globally starting this summer.
Under the agreement, the Amazon-owned live streaming platform will also stream select USA Women’s National Team friendly games, Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Regionals and Nationals, and the 2020 Nike Hoop Summit. Coverage will include men’s and women’s training camps and other USA Basketball events.
Creators on the streaming platform will have the ability to co-stream all events, giving them a chance to offer their own commentary on the games. Twitch says it will work closely with USA Basketball on additional content opportunities around each event to incorporate innovative elements, including interactive custom overlays, to provide engagement opportunities that enhance the viewing experience.
“Bringing USA Basketball programming to Twitch is an exciting next step in our partnership,” said David Denenberg, NBA Senior vice president, global media distribution and business affairs. “Twitch shares in our commitment to innovation and using technology to improve the live game viewing experience for basketball fans around the world.”
The deal is part of a continued relationship between Twitch and NBA-affiliated leagues, which previously partnered on streaming coverage for NBA G League and NBA 2K League games. Earlier this month, Twitch also became a streaming partner of the Jr. NBA Global Championship.
“The NBA was one of our first partners outside of gaming, so we’re very familiar with the passion of their fans,” says Michael Aragon, senior vice president of content at Twitch. “Twitch and USA Basketball is a perfect fit for multiplayer entertainment.”