Microsoft has signed a multiyear deal with National Basketball Association (NBA) to become the official AI, cloud, and laptop provider for the league. The deal will see the NBA using Microsoft’s Azure platform to broadcast live and on-demand basketball games, with personalized content.
“Our goal, working with Microsoft, is to create customized content that allows fans whether they are in an NBA arena or watching from anywhere around the world to immerse themselves in all aspects of the game and engage directly with our teams and players,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
Microsoft will also become the “Official Artificial Intelligence Partner” for the WNBA, NBA G League and USA Basketball. It will be an associate partner for future events, including NBA All-Star, MGM Resorts NBA Summer League and WNBA All-Star.
The deal comes in the middle of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, at a time when the NBA is on pause. Both companies will start working together on platform tech for the 2020–21 NBA season, and Microsoft will become “an associate partner of future marquee events, including NBA All-Star, MGM Resorts NBA Summer League and WNBA All-Star.”
