For most of its existence, NBA League Pass has fallen strictly under the purview of sports writers and diehard fans, one of the primary reasons being its somewhat exorbitant price for the commitment involved. But as with everything else, the league has become increasingly savvy about the product it offers to consumers.
Instead of requiring a season or even half-season subscription, the NBA now offers viewers all sorts of affordable a la carte options including a per-month subscription, the ability to follow just a single team, and even individual-game purchases.
Now it appears they’ve taken it one step further with the option to watch the closing quarter of a game already in-progress via the NBA League Pass app.
Wow. @NBA experimenting with in app micro-transactions, offering 4th quarter of a game for $0.99. The future is here. pic.twitter.com/pu602ZAokn
— Vasu Kulkarni (@Vasu) March 24, 2018
It’s a pretty ingenious strategy to entice fans around the world who might otherwise not have access with such a convenient and affordable way to catch the crunch-time minutes of a hotly-contested game.
Not only will it bring the league a whole new revenue stream, it will continue to help spur its already-astronomical growth. The NBA is the fasting growing professional sports league in the world, and it’s no secret that innovative uses of technology like this one are at the center of what could potentially be a major paradigm shift in how fans access the game.