NBA TV

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For the Canadian version of this channel, see NBA TV Canada.
NBA TV
NBA TV logo
Launched March 17, 1999
Owned by National Basketball Association
(leased to Turner Broadcasting System, a Time Warner company)
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
480i (SDTV/16:9 letterbox)
Country  United States
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Website NBAtv.com
Availability
Satellite
DirecTV 216 (HD/SD)
Dish Network 156 (HD/SD)
9508 (HD)
DishHD (Taiwan) 6350 (HD)
D-Smart (Turkey) 76
76 (HD)
Cable
Available on most cable systems Check local listings
Verizon FiOS 589 (HD)
89 (SD)
IPTV
AT&T Uverse 1632 (HD)
632 (SD)
Now TV 678 (SD)
Sky Angel 331 (SD)

NBA TV is an American sports channel dedicated to basketball. The network is financially backed by the National Basketball Association (NBA), which also uses NBA TV as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA League Pass, and partner channel TNT. Having launched in March 1999, it is the oldest sports league-owned/controlled cable network in North America.

Contents

History [edit]

Early years [edit]

Started in 1999 as nba.com TV, the channel, which had its studios at NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, New Jersey, began a multi-year deal with American television companies Cox Communications, Cablevision, and Time Warner Cable on June 28, 2003, allowing the network to expand to 45 million American homes, and 30 different countries. NBA TV replaced Time Warner's CNN/SI on many cable systems after that network shut down a year earlier.

Ownership [edit]

On October 8, 2007, it was reported that Turner Sports, a division of Time Warner, was to take over the channel's operations, according to Hoopsworld:

"NBATV: Surprisingly there has been little said about the NBA's decision to sell off NBATV to one of its media partners. Talks had gone on for sometime [sic] as ESPN/ABC and Turner both explored scenarios with the league. Ultimately it seems Turner has won out, and will take over operation of the league's flagship cable channel, that reaches some 12 million subscribers. The exact changeover date is not clear, but several months ago a Bloomberg report cited sources saying senior level producers were offered contract buyouts in September."

Turner Sports relaunched the channel on October 28, 2008, using analysts carried over from NBA on TNT.[1] The studio was also upgraded, and the show now airs live from Studio B at Turner Studios in Atlanta, Georgia; Studio B is adjacent to Studio J, home of Inside the NBA.

New carriage agreements [edit]

On April 16, 2009, it was announced that DirecTV and the NBA reached a new carriage agreement. NBA TV was moved from the satellite television provider's add on Sports Pack (and premium subscription package NBA League Pass) to its lower priced base package Choice Xtra on October 1, 2009. DirecTV believes the move will make the channel available to an additional 8 million subscribers.[2]

On June 4, 2009, it was announced that the NBA and Comcast have reached a deal to move the channel from the cable company's add on Sports Entertainment Package to its basic level Digital Classic package, by the start of the 2009-10 NBA season. Comcast believes an additional 8 million customers will now have access to the channel.[3]

Verizon FiOS added the channel and NBA League Pass for the first time on September 23, 2009.[4]

The channel also signed new multiyear agreements with Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, and Dish Network on October 22, 2009. They also reached a new deal with Cox Cable earlier this year.[4]

With all of the above carriage deals, the NBA believes it will now reach 45 million viewers.[4]

AT&T Uverse reached a carriage deal and added the channel in SD and HD for the first time on October 29, 2010.[5]

Currently the network is unavailable from Charter Communications, which carried the network in its nba.com TV form before 2004, due to unknown carriage conflicts. Charter is the only cable company in North America not to offer the network. Oddly enough, Paul Allen of Portland Trailblazers ownership also holds an ownership stake in Charter making the lack of a partnership confusing. Likewise, the NBA League Pass package is also unavailable on most Charter systems.

Criticism [edit]

NBA TV has been criticized for its usage of local announcers during the playoffs[6][7] NBA TV would merely pick up a feed that is intended to be broadcast to a local audience via regional sports networks. In 2012, the network announced it would be producing its own playoff broadcasts and would not merely be simulcasting a local feed.[8]

Programming [edit]

NBA TV offers basketball news every day, as well as programming showcasing basketball players' individual lifestyles, life as a basketball team during an NBA season, famous games of the past, and live games typically four days a week during the NBA season, mostly on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays, with occasional Wednesday, Friday and Sunday schedule in lieu of ESPN's coverage. Live games on NBA TV are subject to local blackout restrictions, since NBA TV does not have exclusive broadcast rights to any of its games. Games carried by NBA TV are always also carried by each team's local rights holder.

The channel also shows international games, typically on Saturday evenings, with special emphasis on the Euroleague and the Maccabi Tel Aviv team from Israel. In April 2005, the channel televised the Chinese Basketball Association finals for the first time.[9] NBA TV carries at least 90 regular-season games per season, all broadcast in high definition, as well as some first-round playoff games. It also broadcasts WNBA games nationally (subject to local blackout).

The channel's flagship program is NBA Gametime Live, a show in which a host and studio analysts go over the latest news, highlights, and look in at games in progress. The show is live six days a week, not airing on most Thursdays due to NBA's coverage of The NBA on TNT. An edited one hour/thirty minute version of the broadcast is repeated throughout the late night/early morning hours.

Beginning with the 2012-13 season, NBA TV's game coverage had its score box (which was seen on the lower-left hand corner of the screen) changed to an across-the-screen banner. However, the network does not use timeout indicators like ESPN and TNT do.

NBA TV shows [edit]

NBA TV HD [edit]

NBA TV HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of NBA TV. All studio programs and original shows are shot in HD, and all live games and recent game rebroadcasts are shown in HD. For programs not available in HD (such as older game footage), unique stylized pillarboxes are used, the NBA logo with "NBA TV" under it, or alternatively, just "NBA TV" sideways. Both are in black and gray.

On Christmas Day 2011, NBA TV switched to a 16:9 high-definition re-position, as did the NBA on TNT. As a result, both of the network's standard-definition and high-definition feeds now show the same exact 16:9 letterbox format.

Personalities [edit]

The studio host and analysts vary every night on NBA Gametime. The documentary titled "The Dream Team" premiered on June 13.

Studio hosts [edit]

Studio analysts [edit]

Contributors [edit]

Former hosts and analysts [edit]

NBA TV International [edit]

NBA TV International is a variant of NBA TV shown outside of the United States with the same studio and taped programming except FIBA events and highlights, but a largely different lineup of games from the US channel. NBA TV International shows one or two games per day, but the NBA playoffs and most US nationally televised games (e.g. Sunday afternoon on ABC, Thursday evening on TNT, Wednesday/Friday on ESPN, Monday/Tuesday/Saturday on US NBA TV) are not shown, and instead are sold to local TV channels in each territory.

As of 2010, NBA TV International can be seen in 40 countries via the following partners:

In February 2012, NBA TV International was made available on NBA.TV as a subscription channel over the internet outside of the United States.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Turner promotes NBA digital menu". 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-10-15. 
  2. ^ NBA TV Scores Multiyear Distribution Deal With DirecTV - Pact Gives Network Berth On DBS Leader's Choice Xtra Package Multichannel News April 16, 2009
  3. ^ NBA TV Jumps To Broader Comcast Carriage - Pro Hoops Network Moves From Sports Tier To MSO's Digital Classic Multichannel News June 4, 2009
  4. ^ a b c NBA Digital Signs Deal with FiOS for NBA TV and NBA League Pass TVWeek.com September 23, 2009
  5. ^ AT&T U-Verse Tips Off Carriage Of NBA TV - League-Owned Network Available On Telco's U300 Package, HD Tier Multichannel News October 29, 2010
  6. ^ Yoder, Matt (27 April 2011). "Gary Neal's Buzzer Beater And The Sounds Of Silence". Awful Announcing. Bloguin. Retrieved 2 May 2011. 
  7. ^ Yoder, Matt (23 April 2011). "Should NBATV Use Local Announcers For Playoff Games?". Awful Announcing. Bloguin. Retrieved 2 May 2011. 
  8. ^ Hiestand, Michael (2012-04-22). "Hiestand: NFL draft loses some spontaneity". USAToday.com. Retrieved 2012-04-23. 
  9. ^ NBA.com Chinese Basketball Association Coverage Expands to U.S
  10. ^ "Turner Newsroom: NBA.com Host Kyle Montgomery". Retrieved 11 March 2011. 
  11. ^ Brent Barry joins NBA TV's studio analyst crew

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