TNT Sports' NBA 2K25 DataCasts Blur Line Between Video Game and Live Broadcast During Emirates NBA Cup TNT is leveraging Genius Sports technology to bring the videogame-centric broadcast to life By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Tuesday, December 10, 2024 - 4:02 pm
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For more than a decade, countless sports-production leaders have opined about the need to make live broadcasts look more like video games in order to draw a broader audience. Tonight, TNT Sports is making that vision a literal reality. In collaboration with NBA 2K and Genius Sports, TNT Sports will offer the the first of four immersive NBA 2K25 DataCast presentations on truTV and Max during the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup Quarterfinals and Semifinals.
We are conscious of the fact that many fans today have experienced sports through video games first and they are used to watching the game from that perspective, says Matt Mosteller, TNT Sports' VP of Content. So we're excited for fans to be able to experience the NBA Cup through this NBA 2K lens. So many fans who have grown up playing NBA 2K will now be able to see it come to life in the real game.
The 2K Takeover: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Videogame and Broadcast The altcasts will blur the lines between the videogame and the real NBA experience with NBA 2K25 overlays, such as the iconic Shot Meter, 2K badges, and official 2K camera angles. In addition, split-second game insights - player tracking, shot probability, shot distance - powered by Genius Sports' GeniusIQ will be embedded throughout the telecasts via a consistent L-Bar graphic on the screen.
Players will be highlighted on the court with overlays that will showcase shot probability, shot distance, and other things that you wouldn't see in a normal game - all in the style of an NBA 2K25 game, says Mosteller. Then you will also see a variety of other graphics, camera angles, and other elements that come right from the NBA 2K game that fans who play the game are used to seeing.
This marks TNT Sports' latest data-focused alternative-broadcast efforts following on the heels of the first-ever NHL DataCast Powered by AWS during the NHL Western Conference Final in May and the MLB DataCast throughout the entire ALCS in October.
We've been doing [altcasts] for a while now and we've done a couple [DataCasts] with Genius, but the addition of NBA 2K25 adds a very different vibe than the others we have done, says Mosteller. 2K has been such a great partner and they're very endemic to basketball so it adds an exciting new layer to that DataCast model.
Fans who tune into the NBA 2K25 DataCast broadcasts will also have the opportunity to redeem six NBA 2K25 Locker Codes, each unlocking an Amethyst MyTEAM pack and allowing players to choose one of 11 NBA superstars to build the ultimate MyTEAM lineup.
On Hand in ATL: Standalone Production Out of Techwood Campus All four NBA 2K25 DataCasts (three quarterfinals and one semifinal) will be standalone productions operating out of Warner Bros. Discovery's Techwood Campus in Atlanta. The DataCasts will be produced out of a dedicated control room with its own director, producer, and graphics operators.
The NBA 2K25 DataCast production team will take in the line-cut from the primary TNT broadcast and insert overlays on top using Genius Sports' technology. In addition, the front bench in the control room will access to all of the main TNT broadcast's iso cameras, as well as one unilateral iso camera of its own.
The most important iso will be that backboard camera that recreates the iconic NBA 2K game angle, says Mosteller. We will bring that camera in from the trucks on site and roll back highlights from that angle. It's going to make [viewers] feel like everything is actually happening inside the NBA 2K game.
The first-of-its-kind alternative viewing experience will also feature its own dedicated on-air talent led by host Adam Lefkoe and sports-analytics expert Kirk Goldsberry along with contributions by pro hoops stars Vince Carter, Candace Parker, and Channing Frye.
Being able to utilize our own cameras, production, and graphics really gives us the ability to craft our own story around the game, says Mosteller. And we've got some really great personalities in front of the camera to help us tell that story as well.
Genius has set up two of its servers at the Techwood studios - a primary and backup - in order to insert overlays over the game action. Genius Sports leverages the data from Sony Hawk-Eye's optical tracking technology at each arena in order to insert the graphic overlays. A dedicated Genius Sports tech producer will be sitting on the back bench in Atlanta alongside other graphics operators to help manage overlays and L-Bar graphics.
Genius has been a great partners to work with on this, says Mosteller. They are very hands-on and volunteered to send one of their own people down to work with us hand in hand as we produce this.
TNT is also utilizing Ross Video Xpression graphics and Inside Edge analytics platform for the broadcasts.
Looking Ahead: More Altcasts on the Horizon In addition to previous DataCasts, TNT Sports teamed up with the NHL, Warner Bros. Games, and Beyond Sports to produce a MultiVersus NHL Face-Off animated broadcast in April. Between these broadcasts and other personality-fueled altcasts, TNT Sports continues to explore new ways to bring live games to viewers.
We always want to innovate; that's just in our DNA over here at TNT Sports, says Mosteller. We want to deliver engaging content that ultimately serves the fan so we are always looking for different executions to get fans excited. That can be geared toward the hardcore fans to the hardcore fan like the DataCasts or the casual fan like the M
