NEW YORK – The NBA and TISSOT announced today the launch of a groundbreaking integrated timing system and a new shot clock with innovative LED glass technology developed exclusively for the league.  The new shot clock will debut July 8 at Samsung NBA Summer League and will be integrated into all NBA arenas for the 2016-17 season.

The integration of the new TISSOT shot clock and timing system marks the first time the league will use the same clocks and timing equipment across all 29 of its arenas.  The clean, sleek shot clock is visibly free of cables and conductors and equipped with TISSOT’s LED glass, making the clock nearly transparent when in use and fully transparent while turned off.  It integrates the 24-second, timeout, and game clocks in one piece of hardware – a first for the league.  Transitions between numbers are instant and undetectable even by high-speed TV cameras, resulting in definitive footage that will further assist NBA referees and the NBA Replay Center in evaluating certain critical calls.

The new system simultaneously transmits exact timing data to all in-arena scoreboards and video equipment, letting fans follow the action within fractions of a second.  Clock and scoreboard operators in all arenas will control the system with TISSOT’s proprietary software, which offers an intuitive and uniform interface.  Each shot clock will feature TISSOT branding, another sign of the company’s increasing presence at NBA games.

“TISSOT is proud of confirming its expertise in the world of basketball timekeeping by presenting this new shot clock,” said François Thiébaud, TISSOT President.  “Our collaboration with the NBA is bound for greatness.  Our shared love for precision and passion for sport is leading us to push boundaries to enhance the experience of basketball for everyone involved with new technology and innovation and this is only the first step.”

“The NBA has depended on accurate timekeeping for more than 70 years, and in all that time we’ve never had a partner like TISSOT,” said Michael Gliedman, NBA Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer, Information Technology.  “TISSOT’s expertise and groundbreaking timing system developed exclusively for the NBA will provide us with the most sophisticated shot clock the league has ever had, enhancing our game on the court and providing a sharper viewing experience for fans.”

The NBA introduced the 24-second shot clock during the 1954-55 season as a way to speed up game play.  The league has since made a number of enhancements to shot clock technology.

Last October, TISSOT became the Official Timekeeper of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and NBA Development League (NBA D-League), the watchmaker’s first partnership with a major North American sports league in the company’s 160-year history.  TISSOT is the number one Swiss traditional watchmaker in terms of volume and a member of the Swatch Group – the world’s largest watch producer and distributor.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA.com and the NBA app, which achieved record traffic during the 2014-15 season, as well as NBA TV.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one 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 TISSOT
The plus sign in the logo symbolises the Swiss quality and reliability Tissot has shown since 1853. The watches, sold in more than 160 countries, are authentic, accessible and use special materials, advanced functionalities and meticulous design. Tissot stands by its signature, Innovators by Tradition. The high calibre of the brand has been repeatedly recognised. Tissot has been named Official Timekeeper and Partner of many disciplines, including, basketball with the NBA, FIBA and CBA; cycling with the Tour de France and the UCI World Cycling Championships; motorsports with MotoGPTM and the FIM World Superbike Championship and rugby with the RBS 6 Nations Championship, TOP14, the European Rugby Champions and Challenge Cups. It is also the Official Timekeeper of the World Championships of fencing and ice hockey and of the AFL. www.tissotwatches.com

TISSOT watches are available for sale at NBAStore.com.