The Washington Wizards are trying to claw their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture without John Wall, and are doing a pretty good job without their All-Star point guard, winning three of their last four.
While they’re not exactly setting the world on fire, they are looking to stay competitive and hopefully arrive in the postseason through the pack of mediocrity in the middle of the East. For NBC Sports Washington, the Wizards local television partner, they’re looking to find ways to keep fans engaged and watching Wizards games in a season that, to this point, has been a disappointment.
With sports betting apparently on the horizon in the Washington D.C. area — or at least, some restricted form of it — NBCSW has decided to tinker with a new broadcast that will cater to the sports bettor. According to The Washington Post, a new alternative broadcast will air on NBCSW Plus for eight games this season with a sports betting slant, and include various in-game prop type offers to viewers to “Predict the Game” online (for free, with a $500 winner or winners being revealed in the postgame show).
The story includes a preview of what the broadcast will look like, with a sidebar showing the money line and spread for the game, along with pertinent stats, while the bottom portion will have various prop questions with which viewers can interact.
It’s an interesting new approach to game broadcasts and, while it’s likely not ever going to fully replace what the standard broadcast looks like, it could point to a future with secondary streams and broadcasts on alternate channels that allow for a different experience.
The broadcast will debut on Friday, January 11 for Wizards-Bucks and will appear seven more times this season.
