Tuesday 4 October 2022

FIFA POWER

FIFAe Finals make a 2023 comeback as new FIFA esports season is announced

Fifae Keyvisual
Fifae Keyvisual Credit: EA Sports

The FIFAe Finals 2023 will once again be the climax of the season featuring all things FIFAe ranging from esports, gaming, music, fashion and much more

As the ‘FIFAe Finals’ model is set to return for summer 2023, the tournament will see the Best 24 clubs, players and nations to qualify for FIFAe Finals 2023.

According to FIFA after the success of the first-ever FIFAe Finals 2022 this summer, FIFAe announced the return of the pinnacle events in summer 2023. More nations, clubs and players than ever before are expected to enrol in the FIFAe competitions – which will start at the end of September 2022 – with the world’s top competitive gamers set to compete over the next months to qualify for the FIFAe Finals 2023. Ultimate fame awaits at the pinnacle events as players can qualify for the FIFAe Club World Cup 2023 presented by EA SPORTS as a team, represent their country at the FIFAe Nations Cup 2023 presented by EA SPORTS or compete against the world’s best individuals at the FIFAe World Cup 2023 presented by EA SPORTS. In addition, with an updated season format, 24 of the best individual players, clubs and nations will each compete at their series’ pinnacle event, enabling more preparation time, more prize money for individuals and more chances to tell the stories of the competitors.

Moreover, the FIFAe Finals 2023 will once again be the climax of the season featuring all things FIFAe ranging from esports, gaming, music, fashion and much more. A total of USD 1.2 million prize money will be distributed at the FIFAe Finals 2023 in addition to the prize pool available throughout the season via various qualification events.

“Following the positive feedback from the FIFAe Finals 2022, we’ll continue to double down on co-creating with fans, teams and stakeholders whilst offering more opportunities for partners with FIFA’s new commercial structure for football gaming and esports”, said Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer at FIFA. “This season will further cement the FIFAe competitions as the climax for the world’s best and a place for the entire community to share their passion.”

And last season, players from across the globe, over 780 clubs and over 80 nations participated in the different tournament series – making it the most engaging season on FIFAe social media channels ever. As of 2023, brands will be able to take up dedicated partnerships around esports with the new commercial structure for the first time in FIFA’s history.

Furthermore, to its competitions, FIFAe will maintain focus on creating a positive impact with ‘The Good Game Promise’, which was launched ahead of the FIFAe Finals 2022. FIFA.GG will continue to serve as the main hub of FIFAe for the upcoming season, where fans and players alike will be able to see results, rankings, fixtures and livestreams from the events, added FIFAe.

NBA POWER

NBA Fans of Every Team Now Have NBA App For Everyday Action

Built in partnership with Microsoft, the NBA’s official cloud and AI partner powered by NBA’s new integrated digital platform

By Thandisizwe Mgudlwa

CAPE TOWN/South Africa: “Launching our new National Basketball Association, NBA App and digital platform is a major milestone as we continue to build and strengthen our direct-to-consumer offerings,” said Chris Benyarko, NBA Executive Vice President, Direct-to-Consumer.

“We are thrilled to deliver a reimagined product that will enhance and personalize the way NBA fans engage with the league on a daily basis.”

The NBA today announced the launch of the reimagined global NBA App, the all-in-one destination for NBA fans of every team.

With entirely new personalization features, the NBA App will provide wall-to-wall content from every NBA game and feature social-style vertical video, unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to players and teams, new and existing shows and series, and access to the NBA vault for free.

The NBA App – a product of NBA Digital, the league’s joint venture with Turner Sports – is free to download. Moreover, the New NBA App to Provide Wall-to-Wall Content from Every Game with Personalized Experiences, Social-Style Vertical Video, Behind-the-Scenes Access to Players and Teams and More Powered by Microsoft.

NBA App to Go Beyond NBA Game Coverage with New and Existing Original Shows, Live Basketball from Leagues Around the World and Partner and Influencer Content.

New Global Membership Program, NBA ID, Offers Special Access to League Benefits; NBA League Pass and NBA TV Bundle Available at New Low Price. In addition, the NBA has launched NBA ID, the league’s new global membership program offering fans benefits and rewards from the league, teams and its partners.

NBA ID, which is free to join, will link a fan’s experiences across existing products like NBA League Pass and NBA Pick’Em. Throughout the season, NBA ID members will get access to new original content and fan favorites from the NBA vault.

Additionally, there will be enhanced members-only experiences from NBA partners, ticket promotions, prizes through predictive and sweepstakes-style NBA Pick’Em fantasy games, voting campaigns, and other rewards.

According to the NBA, NBA App is powered by the NBA’s new integrated digital platform, which was built in partnership with Microsoft, the NBA’s official cloud and AI partner.  The NBA App now includes a sleek new design and a first-of-its-kind “For You” experience, with content recommendations based on fan preferences and personalization powered by Microsoft Azure and Azure AI.

Within the app’s “For You” page, fans can tap into a social-like vertical video experience – with vertical scrolling – that features real-time highlights of all NBA games in progress.

Furthermore, the league’s direct-to-consumer subscription offerings – NBA League Pass and NBA TV – will be integrated into the NBA App, giving fans the ability to watch live games and highlights and check scores, statistics, and standings, all in one place.

For NBA League Pass subscribers, the live streams will feature higher video quality, lower streaming latency, and a seamless user experience for consuming live NBA content.

NBA League Pass returns this season with a new bundle at its lowest pricing ever.  For a limited time, the standard package is now available for $14.99 per month ($99.99 for the full season) and the premium package for $19.99 per month ($129.99 for the full season).  Subscribers will automatically receive the NBA TV direct-to-consumer offering as part of the new bundle.

Content highlights on the NBA App include:

Live Programming and Social-Style Content:

Gameday Experience – Fans will be immersed in game-day content all day long and, for the first time, get live access to streams of all pregame and postgame NBA press conferences and media days from every major event.

In addition, NBA ID members will have access to teams’ pregame shows for NBA League Pass games.

Lifestyle – Social-style content series looking at the lifestyle, culture, fashion, music, and more around the game and off the court, including NBA Kicks, NBA Fits, Jersey Drop, Ride Along, Celebrity Row, and NBA Ink, among others.

“CrunchTime” – A free weekly whiparound show taking fans live to crucial moments of each game and providing real-time updates and analysis, produced by NBA TV and hosted by Jared Greenberg.

“NBABet stream” – A weekly stream produced by NBA TV with betting expert Tim Doyle and a selection of top contributors to provide the latest betting information during live game coverage.

Live NBA League Pass Programming.

In addition to 24/7 NBA TV programming and out-of-market live games, NBA League Pass subscribers will have access to expanded options for personalized viewing experiences through a wide variety of alternate streams, including additional camera angles, betting-focused streams, influencer-led and analytics-driven options, and in-language feeds with commentary in three languages (Spanish, Portuguese and Korean).

“NBA HooperVision” returns for its second season with former NBA players and hosts Nate Robinson and Quentin Richardson.

External Content Contributors:

All-Access Directly from Teams – Behind-the-scenes storytelling from teams’ social and digital channels.

Partner Content – Content produced by popular basketball and sports-highlight creators, including Turner Sports, featuring content from the hosts of “Inside the NBA”, Grant Hill, and Greg Anthony, as well as FanDuel, DraftKings, Action Network, Bleacher Report, and more.

Influencers – Influencer-created content from popular creators including Thinking Basketball’s Ben Taylor, Jesser, Kris London, Lethal Shooter, Devin Williams, Tristan Jass, and more focused on fashion, lifestyle, and NBA culture both on and off the court.

Exclusive Original Programming:

“Gold Blooded” – A new seven-episode docuseries telling the story of the Golden State Warriors’ journey to the 2022 NBA championship.  Narrated by Andre Iguodala, the series features never-before-seen footage and new interviews with team executives and players, including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

The first episode is available on the NBA App today.

“Pass the Rock” – Fans will get an exclusive look at the league’s next generation of stars and their lives on and off the court throughout the 2022-23 season.  The multi-part series is slated to begin in late November.

“Inside the App” – An exclusive weekly segment from TNT’s “Inside the NBA” team that will spotlight the hottest storylines and most topical events from around the league.

“NBA Real Training Camp” with the Philadelphia Sixers (October 29) and Dallas Mavericks (October 30) – A special all-access show produced by NBA TV during the opening week of preseason providing exclusive look-ins at the teams’ practices and interviews with players, coaches and front office personnel.

Archived Games – Fans will have access to archival footage from the NBA vault, including 500 of the best classic games in NBA history.  Every NBA Finals game since 2000 will also be available, with more Finals and popular games being released throughout the season.

Archived Series – Documentaries and all-access series from NBA Entertainment’s archives will be available on-demand, including “Dream Team”, “The Doctor”, “Wilt 100”, “The Association”, “Unscripted”, “Inside Stuff” and more.

NBA’s International Games – The NBA App will be the go-to destination for fans to engage with and watch The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten & Nissan (Golden State Warriors vs. Washington Wizards on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6 a.m. ET and Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1 a.m. ET) and The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 (Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, Oct. 6 at noon ET and Saturday, Oct. 8 at noon ET).

“Hoop Cities” – An eight-part, in-language docuseries produced by the NBA’s Europe and Middle East team that explores the local culture, history, and basketball communities surrounding the game throughout the following European cities: Belgrade (Serbia), Bologna (Italy), Cologne & Leverkusen (Germany), Istanbul (Turkey), Kaunas (Lithuania), Paris (France), Seville (Spain) and Thessaloniki (Greece).

The NBA added that additional content series and other enhanced features on the NBA App will be announced throughout the season.

The league is composed of 30 teams, 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada, and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. It is the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world. And the NBA’s regular season runs from October to April, with each team playing 82 games.

The league’s playoff tournament extends into June. And as of 2020, NBA players are the world’s best-paid athletes by average annual salary per player.