Facebook-owned virtual reality platform Oculus has entered into a multi-year partnership with the NBA basketball league.
Oculus becomes an official marketing partner of the NBA, as well as the first-ever virtual reality headset partner of the league, the WNBA and the NBA G League.
The deal has been signed to coincide with the start of the NBA playoffs this week. Oculus will serve as a presenting partner of the NBA Rail Cam Replay, which will become ‘Oculus Front Row View’ and provide an innovative viewing experience for fans watching at home.
The platform will also deliver NBA games in virtual reality through Oculus Venues, which is available on Oculus Quest and Oculus Go headsets.
Additionally, Oculus becomes an associate partner of the NBA Draft and NBA Crossover of the NBA All-Star Game, and an associate partner of the WNBA’s Believe in Women platform and the NBA G League’s end-of-season tournament.
Oculus will benefit from brand exposure at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and IMG Academy as the NBA and WNBA conclude their seasons. Oculus Quest headsets will also be gifted to NBA and WNBA players.
Rob Shaw, Facebook’s director of sports media and league partnerships, said: “The NBA has a strong history of using virtual reality to connect people in ways that weren’t possible before – and that’s never been more important than it is now. We’re thrilled for Oculus to be an official partner of the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League and look forward to helping more fans experience the beauty of professional basketball in VR.”Julie Morris, the NBA’s vice-president of media and business development, added: “This partnership
furthers our ongoing commitment to engage with fans of the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League in new and innovative ways. Together with Oculus, we will create new experiences for our fans while also bringing them closer to the action through Oculus’ state-of-the-art VR devices.”
Image: Rossdbrown/Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)/Edited for size
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