Nba Junkies To Get Their Fill
NBA fans the world over will be able to check scores, listen to live broadcasts, watch video clips and get up-to-date statistics, all on a World Wide Web page being put together by Paul Allen’s Starwave.
The Bellevue-based Internet content provider is working with ESPN, the sports cable network, and NBA teams to put together the Web site, which they expect to debut Nov. 3, the league’s opening day. The address will be http://www.nba.com
“We’re on the verge of some truly innovative changes that will make the sporting experience more engaging, more customized and more fun,” said Allen, speaking at the opening of Portland’s new Rose Garden arena.
Financed in part with $46 million from the Mercer Island software billionaire, the $262 million facility seats 21,500 and offers state-of-the-art technology for replays with special effects.
Game Ops (Operations) Commander, a computerized special-effects video and sound system developed by Allen’s Trail Blazers basketball team, may be adopted leaguewide, Allen said at a press conference.
The Web site and commander system “are excellent examples of how technology can and will be used to enhance and deepen sports experiences, whether at the Rose Garden, exploring the Web or relaxing in your own living room,” Allen said.
NBA Commissioner David Stern compared the Internet’s potential impact to that of cable TV. In 1979, the league signed its first cable deal for $400,000, at a time when cable was in 4 million homes. Today, cable reaches 70 million homes and brings the league multimillion-dollar deals.
The new site, proposed to the league last winter by Bert Kolde, Allen’s college friend and longtime lieutenant, will link with Starwave’s popular ESPNet SportsZone Internet page (http:/ /www.starwave.com).
At a demonstration of the NBA site, Starwave CEO Mike Slade showed video game highlights, essays previewing the coming season, and statistical tables for various teams.
Starwave will offer a uniform look and feel for each team’s Web page, but teams will be able to customize their offerings as well, Slade said.
The most striking feature of the Web page may prove to be its audio feature, arranged in conjunction with Seattle-based Progressive Networks, which offers a RealAudio technology. Using RealAudio, a fan abroad would be able to call up a live play-by-play broadcast for any NBA game.