SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
TAB has moved to strengthen its brand visibility in its home market, becoming the official wagering partner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Australia.
The partnership will see TAB and the NBA collaborate on production of an Australia-facing version of the league’s betting focused alternate telecast, NBABet Stream, marking the service’s debut outside of the US.
Additionally, TAB will gain marketing opportunities across the NBA’s digital platforms, including NBA.com and the league’s app, Facebook and Twitter accounts, whilst also serving as the presenting partner of a localised version of the NBA’s free-to-play prediction game, NBA Pick’Em.
“The NBA is one of the world’s great sporting organizations,” said Tabcorp Wagering & Media Managing Director, Adam Rytenskild. “The popularity of the NBA in Australia continues to grow, particularly amongst younger audiences.
“We have a strong focus on Racing and this partnership strengthens TAB’s sport offering which will enable us to introduce new customers to wagering and to Racing. We look forward to working with the team at the NBA to provide our customers with a unique offering through outstanding products, promotions and content.”
The agreement builds on a pre-existing partnership between the NBA and TAB’s parent company Tabcorp in 2019, which saw the ASX-registered enterprise introduce the 24-hour television network NBA TV to its Sky Channel across retail and entertainment venues throughout Australia.
By expanding their collaboration, the partners aim to ‘build on synergies between media and betting’ to create the ‘ultimate NBA fan experience’, encompassing betting, live games and NBA touchpoints at 4,400 different venues.
NBA Asia Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Scott Levy, added: “Fan engagement is the core of our partnership with TAB, a proven leader and innovator in the wagering space.
“This NBA season is primed to be yet another thrilling basketball showcase, and together with TAB, we will deliver the best possible gaming experience to deepen our engagement with the many passionate NBA fans in Australia who are interested in gaming.”
The agreement also represents TABCORP’s second deal with a North American element this year, following on from Sky Racing World’s contract with 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, leveraging the firm’s AmTote International product.
