watch.nba.com
The world is still reeling after the sudden death of Kobe Bryant. Nobody saw this coming and it has hit everyone harder than a celebrity death has hit the world in a long time. The situation, of course, is tragic. And it has reached deep into the soul of the NBA, which is to be expected - but it has also cut the rest of the world equally. Everyone - from musicians to athletes to comedians to influencers - took this week to soberly reflect and look to one another for healing since the loss of Bryant and his daughter, Gianna.
Although everyone is grieving Kobe's passing, they are coming together to continue playing the game he loved. Players and coaches alike are working through their sadness by playing their best on the court. This is truly a beautiful way to honor him.
I'm sure the NBA will change their logo to honor Kobe temporarily.
As the NBA season progresses, the games get more and more intense. There are still a lot of important games left to be played, and anything can happen. In the NBA, it is common for big changes to take place on a daily basis.
It is an all-too underestimated factor in the game of basketball. All it can take is a single win from an underdog team to carry them all the way to the championship. Injury can dethrone a league favorite. No matter what, the NBA is one of those leagues that you don't want to miss a single moment of. Thankfully, living in the digital age as we do, we have the means to never have to miss an NBA moment again.
That's right, I'm talking about the premium NBA streaming service, NBA TV. It is a must-have for any serious basketball fan, essentially courtside season tickets to every NBA game right on your smartphone, computer, and smart TV. Never miss a single shot; never miss the moment when basketball's legends of tomorrow are born today.
History
In addition to stream live games, NBA TV provides extensive on-demand content including archives of past games, film clips, and even comic books.
Originally billed as NBA.com TV, the online network was shortened to simply NBA TV on February 11th 2003. It originally operated from NBA studio facilities located in Secaucus, New Jersey but has since expanded greatly. In addition to streaming live games, NBA TV provides extensive on-demand content including archives of past games, film clips, and even comic books.
ESPN signed a multi-year contract with ABC in 1997. This expanded ESPN?s reach exponentially, growing to become a part of over 85 million paid subscriber?s household cable plans in the US alone; additionally, ESPN was made available in over 100 other countries around the globe. When Disney took ABC off the air in 2002, many cable providers replaced that channel with ESPN.
Since traditional cable television has come to an end, NBA TV has shifted its focus mainly to their online streaming service ? which many feel is a better deal anyway. At the very least, one cannot argue with the fact that they get much more out of it, as NBA TV online offers exclusive access to every game, even those that are not otherwise aired on television. It is an all-access pass 100% to the NBA. The perfect gift for an NBA fanatic.
Design
NBA Live has opted for a basic overall design, which I enjoy. Simply search for games with a video search interface not entirely unlike that of YouTube?s. Find the game you want to watch, click it, and, voila, that is all there is to it. The game expands to fit your screen and you can track scores from other games thanks to a non-distracting crawler above the video stream.
One potential downside to NBA TV's design is that it doesn't currently include a classic picture in picture feature like you find on other networks. This could make game viewing and exchanging slightly more cumbersome. It would be great if you could click on a game's score on the crawler and open the game as a PIP window, which you could also click on to switch to that game.
There are a few missed opportunities with usability, but that doesn't mean NBA TV is poorly designed in any way. It's just that, as with any service, there's room for improvement.
Content
Well, as I've been saying before, NBA TV offers access to every single game in the league. This means that you, as an NBA TV user, get tons of exclusive content that most people won't have to miss out on. You will also be able to enjoy full-game and customizable game replays; the ability to watch tons of classic archived games; exclusive NBA television shows; and access to NBA TV on any device.
NBA TV offers a virtual reality service that is unlike any other sports service. For a one-time fee of $49.99, you can use this service to feel like you are courtside with your favorite team and players.
Not only does NBA TV offer a vast amount of services and features, but it may just be the best deal out there. If you're not a huge NBA fan, give it a try and see how you like it - you might be converted!
Mobile and Desktop Experience
NBA TV works just fine on any device that you use to watch it. I personally like to watch it on my smart TV, but if you want to keep up with the game while you're on the go, you won't have any problems. The HD streaming is always crystal clear.
Pricing and Plans
The NBA TV payment options are pretty comprehensive. There's an all-access premium account that costs a little more, but provides more access to the channel's content. There are also single team passes that let you watch the games of one specific team, as well as a streamlined way to watch all of the NBA games which costs less. Below you can find all the different plans and their prices:
-Get NBA TV Premium, No Commercials: every NBA game, all teams, no commercials ? Monthly for just $12.99/month.
NBA League Pass: If you want to watch every NBA game, but with commercials, it will cost you $99.99/year.
-Sign up for a NBA Team Pass and choose one team that you want all of their games to be available for purchase or streaming. The yearly price for this service is $59.99.
NBA Live TV is a new service that consolidates and streamlines access to all regularly aired NBA games with commercials for only $29.99/year.
NBA TV has a lot of different one-time purchase options that you can use to watch games in different ways. You can get the NBA TV add-on for any of the plans that let you watch games in virtual reality for $49.99, and they also offer an audio stream of in-market games for a one-time price of $9.99. Or buy per game, get access to a single matchup to stream to any device, at a pay per view price of $5.99. I love the variety of ways that NBA TV offers to watch games!
Suggestions that I have for NBA TV
I think if the design were made more streamlined, NBA TV would be the perfect sports streaming service.
Conclusion
Overall, NBA TV has a lot to offer fans of the NBA. In addition to its plethora of features, there is a version of it for everyone. If you're a hardcore basketball fan, there's no excuse not to use one of the many versions at some point or another.