Yahoo and NBA Partner The Give VR and Sports Betting Options To Fans

• The NBA and Yahoo Sports team up to bring fans a virtual reality game experience and exclusive NBA betting content.
• Yahoo Sports will now be expanding its NBA betting content including partnering in presenting NBA Pick’EM.
• The games that will be distributed in VR will start July 31-Aug 14.

NEW YORK – The restart of NBA play has begun without fans and Yahoo Sports and the NBA have partnered to bring a new and unique at-home fan and sports betting experience.

Verizon Media-owned, Yahoo Sports, is now an official marketing partner of the NBA and will provide virtual reality (VR) experiences to the league fans along with exclusive NBA betting content to increase engagement.

RYOT, also owned by Verizon Media, is an innovation studio that will now take the live NBA games and bring an arena-like, immersive VR production available through Oculus devices.

“RYOT’s powerful VR capabilities will deliver a truly immersive live experience at home, creating a seamless experience between the physical and digital world,” said Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media. “NBA League Pass in VR is exactly the kind of innovative solution we love to create with our partners. Working with the NBA to redefine the fan’s experience of the game has amazing implications for the future of sports and entertainment.”

This agreement also gives Yahoo Sports the opportunity to allow fans to interact with the league through legal sports betting and fantasy games that will be NBA branded.

Yahoo Sports will still operate and offer the season-long NBA fantasy game exclusively and will now join forces with the league for events such as NBA All-Star weekend and NBA Draft presented by State Farm.

“As the NBA Restart tips off this week, our expanded relationship with Yahoo Sports will offer a variety of unique ways for fans to engage with the NBA,” said Bill Koenig, NBA President, Global Content & Media Distribution. “With everything from fantasy games, sports betting integrations, gaming-focused content and NBA games in VR, there will be no shortage of opportunities to get closer to the game.”

The National Basketball League has made Yahoo Sports the presenting partner of NBA Pick’EM: Playoff Bracket Challenge that will be distributed on NBA and Turner Sports managed platforms including NBA.com, NBA App, and NBA TV.

The NBA League Pass games that are going to be presented in VR through Oculus Go and Oculus Venus on Oculus Quest will start Friday, July 31 through Friday, August 14.

News tags: Bill Koenig | Guru Gowrappan | NBA | NBA All-Star Weekend | NBA Pick’EM | RYOT | Verizon Media | Virtual Reality | Yahoo Sports