First ever webcast: Kings-Mavs 4/13

[LonestarROB]

NBA to Webcast First-Ever Live Game on NBA.com and REAL.com

-- The NBA will become the first major professional sports league to webcast a live game in streaming video when the Dallas Mavericks host the Sacramento Kings on Friday, April 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Fans worldwide will be able to access the game in RealVideo for free on NBA.com and REAL.com, exclusively using RealPlayer from RealNetworks, Inc., (Nasdaq: RNWK).

The webcast experiment -- available to both broadband and narrowband Internet users -- will be produced by NBA Entertainment and be available in both English and Spanish.

"We are proud to participate with RealNetworks to make the first live professional sports game available online to fans on a global basis," said NBA Commissioner David Stern.

"RealNetworks is thrilled to be the NBA's partner for the first-ever live streaming video webcast of an entire NBA game," said Rob Glaser, Chairman and CEO, RealNetworks, Inc. "This marks another milestone for RealNetworks and an important step forward in the evolution of sports on the web."

"As someone who was there at the birth of the webcasting industry, to be part of the first broadcast of an NBA game is very exciting," said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. "The ability to watch an NBA game from almost any Internet-enabled device opens the NBA to fans worldwide. This is just the beginning and I'm proud that the NBA is on the forefront of the digital delivery of content and that the Mavs are a part of this watershed event."

More than one-third of NBA.com's traffic comes from outside the United States and the webcast is expected to draw a large international audience as the two teams feature several international players, including the Mavericks' Steve Nash (Canada), Wang Zhizhi (China), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Eduardo Najera (Mexico), Obinna Ekezie (Nigeria), and the Kings' Hidayet Turkoglu (Turkey), Vlade Divac (Yugoslavia) and Predrag Stojakovic (Yugoslavia). This season, NBA games and programming are broadcast to 210 countries in 42 languages.

For an optimal viewing experience, the minimum recommendations are: a 56k Modem or a broadband connection, and RealPlayer which is available for free at http://www.real.com.

The NBA and RealNetworks announced a multi-year partnership this past January where RealNetworks will provide live Internet broadcasts of NBA.com TV and NBA.com's Audio League Pass through RealPlayer GoldPass, the company's premier subscription-based service with more than 175,000 subscribers.

In addition to the content offerings, RealNetworks is the presenting sponsor of the "My Highlights" section on NBA.com where fans can create and produce their own customized highlight packages of their favorite teams and players from every play and every game of the 2000-01 season.

NBA.com currently averages more than 20 million visitors per month and consistently ranks among the top five sports Internet sites. The NBA.com network consists of 52 unique websites including NBA.com, WNBA.com, 29 NBA team sites, 16 WNBA team sites, USABasketball.com and four international sections of NBA.com.

Sorce: NBA.com

[Mavinator]

They definitely picked the right game to broadcast, for once... two foreigner-laden run-and-gun teams that are tops in the west. It doesn't get any better than that...

[Flying Tiger]

I agree that it will be a great webcast. The teams are very exciting and match up well. Sorry if I repeated you, I didn't quite read it all(it's really long!).

[LonestarROB]

Any of the out of towners watch the game on the web?

[Drbio]

Remember this little tidbit of history.




Ahhhhh.....the good old days.

[bernardos70]

Ah yes...... now we have to give our credit card numbers to sleazy Real. I read it without paying attention to the date, but the Wang Zhizhi part gave it away [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[EricaLubarsky]

Dallas Mavericks host the Sacramento Kings on Friday, April 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Wasnt that two days ago?

[Rhylan]

I was at that game! We thumped 'em.

Man.. I wish Mavinator would show back up, if for no other reason than his sig. BEEEEEEEEF! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] hehe

[EricaLubarsky]

ohhhhhh last year....

[Evilmav2]

HAha... Look who's come back for the Sacramento BBQ. Great to see you back Mavinator!

[Drbio]

It was in 2001 folks.....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

[libra65]

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