NBA fans will get to watch 360-degree videos during pre- and post-game action of this year’s Finals showdown between Golden State and Cleveland.
The league is partnering with Samsung, which is using its Gear 360 camera to film the scenes. It is also teaming up with Twitter and will tweet Twitter cards from the official NBA account that include links to a separate page where you can watch the videos starting Thursday before Game 1.
Users will be able to click and drag the video — it will look something like this. You won’t be able to watch live game action given broadcast rights owned by ABC, but this will give fans a glimpse of what’s going on before and after the game.
Variety noted how this marks the first time for 360-video content to be featured prominently within Twitter’s video advertising platform, Amplify. It’s also another move from Twitter in the sports world — the social media giant, which is struggling to add new users, inked a deal with the NFL in April to stream live games on its platform for the upcoming season.
Twitter is also again providing custom emojis for hashtags related to the Finals.
For the NBA, meanwhile, this is another tech experiment for a league that is certainly forward-thinking. Virtual reality company NextVR partnered with the league earlier this season to produce the first live VR broadcast of an NBA game.
Game 1 kicks off Thursday at 6 p.m. PT from Oakland. Here are streaming tips for the Finals.
Update, 9:35 p.m.: The NBA only tweeted out one 360-degree video on Thursday. It’s a short clip of Steph Curry arriving at Oracle Arena. The video is best viewed on a smartphone and while standing up.
@StephenCurry30 arrives for Game 1 of the #NBAFinals. #Gear360 presented by @SamsungMobileUS https://t.co/kwxerqlAdV
— NBA (@NBA) June 3, 2016
