NBA Takes Shots With Shows for Twitter

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Two new weekly live shows about the National Basketball Association will tip off on Twitter as the pro basketball season starts.

Turner Sports in producing two shows for the league that will stream on the social network, The Starters Twitter Show and The Warmup.

The shows will be available through @NBA, Twitter Moments and on TheStarters.twitter.com and TheWarmup.twitter.com.

Twitter has been looking at live sports as a way to boost usage and ad sales. It simulcasts NFL Thursday Night Football games.

The NBA and Twitter have also launched exclusive hashtag-triggered emojis for all 30 teams.

The Starters Twitter Show, based on the program on NBA TV, features co-hosts J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas, with Trey Kerby, Leigh Ellis, Matt Osten and Jason Doyle with the unique takes on the game.

The Warmup is a blend of the NBA, lifestyle, music and pop culture show that will stream leading into Turner Sports NBA on TNT coverage on Thursday nights at 7:30 ET. The Warmup is hosted by Ben Lyons and Ro Parrish.

The shows are produced from Turner Studios’ new facility, which is designed to create social content.

The NBA joined Twitter in 2009 and now has 23.5 million followers, more than any other sports league.

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.