“There's gonna be a lot of weird stuff” – Steve Ballmer envisions NBA transforming into interactive league with player POV options
The NBA has been progressively embracing technology in recent years, and LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has indicated that even more technological advancements are anticipated in the future.
In an appearance on “Podcast P with Paul George,” Ballmer said the NBA could transform into a more interactive league that could contend with soccer.
“We’re fortunate that we have a game that probably winds up close to tied with soccer as the most popular game in the world,” he said. “I think the business will continue to be good, but you know, this major shift that’s going on from TV as we know it to streaming, there’s gonna be a lot of weird stuff that goes on in terms of how people are getting games.”
The 2023 NBA Finals, in which the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games, had an average viewership of 11.64 million on ABC, data released by the NBA showed. An average of 16.8 million viewers from the US tuned in to the 2022 World Cup Finals.
Considering all NBA social media channels, the NBA said the 2023 Finals amassed eight billion views, making it the most-watched in history.
“There’ll be new ways to experience the game at home,” Ballmer said. “Soon as you put it on the Internet, you can interact with it, you can customize it. This one I’m really excited about.”
“I say to myself, ‘I wanna just watch this game from [Paul George’s] perspective. I wanna see what he sees.’ That’s possible in the next couple years,” he added.
Currently, NBA League Pass offers customizable broadcasts, various camera angles, and enhanced statistical features for subscribers. Additionally, fans can get front-row seats to NBA Games on Meta Quest.
The NBA renewed its collaboration with Meta and streamed a significant portion of last season's games in virtual reality through the Meta Quest Platform in Xtadium. Fans who use Meta Quest VR headsets are able to immerse themselves in VR game experiences and dress up their Meta Avatars in official NBA merchandise.
Although Xtadium is limited to the United States, Meta Horizon Worlds can be accessed in the US, Canada, the UK, Iceland, Ireland, France, and Spain on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. There are also upcoming initiatives to make NBA League Pass accessible within the social VR experience on Meta Quest.
“I think our game not only is a good game, we’re gonna be able to make it even more exciting to the person who’s not in the building,” Ballmer said.
Steve Ballmer expresses excitement for construction of Intuit Dome
In the same episode, Ballmer outlined his vision for the future of the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, a project that commenced construction in September 2021 and is slated for completion in 2024, which will be the new home of the Clippers.
Ballmer said the arena will feature a “crazy” scoreboard.
“Our scoreboard's an acre,” he said. “We have an acre of scoreboard. That's 44,000 square feet. The average big NBA scoreboard is 9,000 square feet. So, we have about five times as much scoreboard as some of the biggest boards out there.”
Ballmer is a prominent figure in the technology industry due to his long tenure at Microsoft, where he served as the company's CEO from 2000 to 2014. According to Bloomberg, he is the ninth richest person in the world.
He also said that the Clippers' arena will incorporate technology, including within the seating area.
"We got some tricks coming,” he said. “We'll have powered every seat so you could charge your phone if you need to during the game. We'll know whether you're standing up, sitting down. And if you're cheering, we know how many decibels you're putting out.”
Ballmer is widely recognized as a fervent basketball enthusiast, evident in his readiness to invest substantial sums in acquiring star players and funding the construction of the Intuit Dome.