NBA Video Board Will Feature Fans, Families In Arena
Jul 24, 2020, 12:39 PM
Arena Video Board (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – NBA fans will be seen on video boards inside the Orlando arenas during the league’s seeding games. The league previewed the video display Friday for media members within the Disney bubble.
“The NBA will have fans appear virtually on video boards surrounding the court live during games,” The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor tweeted. “The home team will choose 300 fans per game. Player families can be on it too.”
The NBA will have fans appear virtually on video boards surrounding the court live during games. The home team will choose 300 fans per game. Player families can be on it too. I saw it demoed today and it's honestly really cool. Super innovative. It'll begin during seeding games. pic.twitter.com/cyiBaYG54e
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 24, 2020
In early scrimmages the video boards have been used to display the home team’s logo and team advertisements.
“These virtual fans will watch games on a feed with no delay,” O’Connor continued. “So from a technical standpoint, their reactions will be captured live without latency as they’re shown in the arena. Audio will also be enabled, though unclear for how long.”
The video boards run the length of the floor on the far side of the broadcast. The players and coaches sit below the boards during games. There are two sets of video boards that sit behind each basket.
NBA Teams Can Add Own Flair To Video Board
In addition to fans and families, NBA teams can appear to have the ability to add other content to the video board. Tania Ganguli who covers the Los Angeles Lakers for the LA Times shared a photo of the Laker Girls dancers during a scrimmage against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Laker girls are here pic.twitter.com/h72gMJajjW
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 23, 2020
The NBA teased the idea of showing fans on the video boards during initial talks of the league’s return. However, the feature has yet to appear during broadcasts.
“What you’ll see in the arena are opportunities for fans to interact. To be seen in the arena and to have hundreds of fans be able to appear on the video boards surrounding the court,” Mark Tatum said in July. Tatum is the deputy commissioner of the NBA.
NBA seeding games begin July 30 when the Utah Jazz take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
