These days the beginning of a new pro sports season doesn't just mean the start of games. It means seeing what new digital initiatives the league has come up with in the offseason, perusing the schedule for the league's own cable network, and making sure your fantasy lineup is set. That's a huge change from a decade and a half ago, when games were available only on television, leagues barely had their own web sites let alone TV channels, and fantasy referred to Playboy rather than players. When the National Basketball Association tips off its new season tomorrow night, it will have new developments across virtually all the properties that fall under the digital umbrella. The League Pass Broadband, which runs $134.95 for online coverage of every NBA game, is adding archival access. NBA TV, the league's digital cable channel, has added live studio programming, and NBA.com has signed several well-known print journalists as contributors. The NBA also entered into a fantasy league deal with ESPN last month that's available via mobile phones. Bryan Perez, senior vice president and general manager at NBA Digital, talks to Media Life about just about everything except who's going to the finals this season. (We tried, but as an NBA employee, he's not allowed to speculate.)


What is the NBA's digital strategy heading into the new season and how has it changed compared to last year?

I would say it hasn’t changed, we’re only increasing our emphasis on cross-platform content creation and distribution, along with advertising models.

The thing that’s unique about NBA Digital is we have this extensive collection of assets, so we’re organized a bit different than some of our counterparts.

Because we’re part of Turner we can align with not only NBA TV but also our colleagues at TNT [which airs regular- and postseason coverage]. We have a hit broadcast platform, plus NBA TV, plus there’s internet and mobile, and it’s all operating in a cohesive and collectively managed way. And that gives us a tremendous opportunity for how and where we distribute content.


It seems league web sites are attracting more talent these days, and you've certainly ramped up your contributors. What is your aim with getting newspaper sports writers to contribute the site, and how objective can they really be when they're covering the sport?

I think it’s twofold. As we see the challenges in the traditional print industry, we want to make sure the sport is still covered by the best and the brightest in the industry. And in some ways we’re supporting the people who have supported us in the past. As business models change, they see new challenges.

They won’t just be on NBA.com, but also on NBA TV and programs like “The Beat” and the studio show “Game Time,” and so we truly take cross-platform to heart. In many ways that’s a great opportunity for people out of the print industry to not only find a new home, but new outlets for their craft.


What new mobile offerings do you have on tap for this season?

All I can say is you’ll see an unprecedented push into mobile. Products are about to drop but stay tuned.


Will NBA games be airing online? How many, is this the first season and what sort of audience do they get? Are they regionalized?

Yes. Last year we had League Pass Broadband, and this year we’ve improved it by offering full-season archives, so you can watch every game throughout the season. And we added DVR functionality, which has the ability to watch three games at once.

We’re not releasing subscriber counts, but we were pleased with our first year--it was a new product last year--and with all the additional features we’re adding we think we’ll see an uptick in the second season.


A few years ago, none of the major sports leagues had their own TV networks, and now they all have cable channels, with games to air. Why are pro sports pursuing this model? How important is having a digital cable outlet to the league in an increasingly fractured media environment?

The NBA was the first to have its own cable network 10 years ago, so we’ve been in this game for a long time. Not only is it a substantial revenue stream and business opportunity--we’ve grown to about 45 million subscribers-- but it does two things.

One, it becomes a content anchor for all our cross-platform initiatives. And two, because all we do is basketball, we can take the fan deeper and broader than any other outlet, so it really supports us in building and educating our fan base.


The NBA recently entered a fantasy deal with ESPN. How important is fantasy to the NBA in nurturing its fan base, and how much does it drive traffic to the web site?

Fantasy is very important to sports. We’re really excited about the partnership.

The thing that makes it unique is not only the league partnering with one of its broadcast entities [ESPN carries games] but we can bring our promotional assets to bear. We’re really able to drive participation in fantasy, which of course is a great engagement tool for avid fans.

It does drive a lot of traffic and activity on the web site, but fantasy players are typically avid fans, so they consume a lot more of everything we have to offer. So it’s not just about traffic but nurturing the avid fans with everything you have to offer.


What initiatives are you currently working on for NBA Digital that will be of most importance five years down the road?

Well, we really think the way the assets align on a cross-platform basis is the model of the future. What we’re working hard on now is understanding how content is consumed and how we deploy it across the channels to make sure we make the most of every distribution platform.

Fundamentally, the big challenge and opportunity for the industry is nailing the cross-platform business model.

Every day everything we do is actually about getting smarter in that area.