YouTube TV to be the First Ever Streaming Partner for NBA Finals

• Google has struck a deal with NBA to make Youtube TV the first-ever presenting sponsor for the NBA Finals.
• YouTube TV branding will be done extensively during the NBA Finals games.
• Google hopes to gain the attention of cord cutters and 'cord nevers' through their virtual pay-TV brand for streaming live sports.

As per the new deal struck between Google’s YouTube and the National Basketball Association, YouTube TV is now the first-ever presenting sponsor for the NBA finals. Neither parties are yet to disclose the length of the deal, but we do know that it will at least run through 2019. In this period, YouTube TV will be the presenting partner of the NBA Finals along with Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the NBA’s official minor league - NBA G League.

In the words of NBA’s SVP of global media and business development, “The NBA Finals on ABC, as well as the WNBA Finals and NBA G League Finals are pinnacle events, and with YouTube TV we are excited to provide fans with new ways to experience the excitement of these championship series.”

Image Courtesy of NBA

As a part of the deal, during the NBA Finals games, a logo labeled “Presented by YouTube TV” will be prominently featured on the court and in-arena. The YouTube TV branding will get further solidified as it will be featured in ABC ad spots and during in-game callouts. NBA’s social media channels will also boast the YouTube TV branding.

In recent months, before this NBA deal, Google has been keeping busy inking several sports partnerships for YouTube TV. They recently renewed their marketing deal with MLB and also made exclusive streaming deals with Los Angeles Football Club and the Seattle Sounders FC. Most probably, the software giant has realized that virtual pay TV brands for streaming live sports are an excellent customer-acquisition tool. In this regard, Google’s main target demographic seems to be the cord-cutters and the younger cord-nevers.

Google hopes that by nailing the NBA Finals - one of the most anticipated events of the year - it can appeal to the younger viewers who have no connection with traditional cable services. Finally, it also interesting to note that the official NBA app is experimenting with low-priced plans for watching certain parts of basketball games.