NBA and Cosm announce multi-year partnership to bring live immersive games in 8K to new experiential venues
LOS ANGELES – The NBA and Cosm, a leading immersive technology, media, and entertainment company, today announced a multi-year partnership that will feature a new live game viewing experience for fans. In this first-of-its-kind partnership, Cosm will produce and present select games from NBA League Pass, the league’s out-of-market live game streaming service, in immersive 8K on large-scale LED-dome systems at its forthcoming venues.
The agreement makes the NBA the first professional sports league to partner with Cosm to debut select NBA League Pass games in “Shared Reality,” a new type of immersive experience, driven by Cosm’s CX System, that seamlessly bridges the virtual and physical worlds. Cosm brings the world’s best fan experiences to the screen and merges a stadium-like atmosphere – the energy of the crowd, elevated food and beverage options, specialized merchandise, and state-of-the-art visuals – to make guests feel like they are in an NBA Arena. Members of NBA ID, the league’s new global membership program, will receive exclusive benefits at Cosm’s venues, including discounts on tickets, merchandise, and events.
“We are excited to bring NBA games to Cosm’s innovative venues and further our common goal of enhancing the fan experience,” said Teddy Kaplan, Associate Vice President, New Media Partner Management Lead at the NBA. “Cosm’s Shared Reality technology offers a new and exciting way to bring fans together in person and closer to the game.”
“This is one of the most transformational deals to hit the sports industry in quite some time,” added Jeb Terry, President & CEO at Cosm. “Our team has created an entirely new experience, driven by industry-leading technology, to give fans a new way to watch the game. We have an incredible opportunity to work with a partner as innovative as the NBA, to combine our collective know-how, and to rewrite the playbook on how leagues, broadcasters, and brands can bring fans closer to the action than ever before. The promise of Cosm is to give you the best seat in the house, no matter where that house is. It is the best of at-home and in-arena experience as one, and we’re thrilled to deliver on that promise with the NBA.”
“Cosm is transforming the experience of the live game, and we could not have asked for a better partner than the NBA to show off the future of fandom,” added Peter Murphy, Vice President, Head of Business Development and Partnerships at Cosm. “We look forward to leveraging Cosm’s unparalleled experience in experiential technology to distribute live NBA games in a way the world has never seen before. Through our partnership, NBA games will be a pillar in Cosm’s venue programming for years to come.”
The NBA and Cosm will continue to work together to deliver live, immersive 8K feeds directly into Cosm’s research and development facility (“Experience Center”) in Salt Lake City, UT. Both the league and company will collaborate and amplify the announcement by hosting private events at the Experience Center throughout NBA All-Star 2023.
Cosm recently broke ground at its first venue in Los Angeles at Hollywood Park, adjacent to SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome, and announced its second venue in Dallas at Grandscape, with plans to expand to additional locations in key markets. Details around the schedule of events upon the opening of these venues will be shared at a later date.
About NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with Games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2021-22 season featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 2.1 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
About Cosm
Cosm is the leading experiential media and immersive technology company redefining the way the world experiences content. With a storied history of building some of the most innovative experience technology in the world, Cosm provides sensorial experiences for every type of fan, from sports and entertainment to immersive art and education. Its immersive venues bridge the virtual and physical worlds through pioneered technology that expands the realm of what’s possible, connecting people and bringing them together in, what is called, Shared Reality. As the company continues to expand to new cities and countries, Cosm is sparking shared passions and providing guests across the globe with experiences they need to feel to believe. To learn more about Cosm, visit www.cosm.com and follow on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok.