While staple sporting viewership for many US citizens, in many places around the world, the sport of basketball has been known more for its standout starts and footwear than the ups and downs of the various teams. To exploit this opportunity, the National Basketball League has invested heavily to transform the sport from being wholly US-centric, to becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Of the 1 Billion+ unique viewers on NBA.com, approximately a third are from overseas (non-US) audiences. League games are now played in major cities around the world and broadcast to over 250 countries in more than 30 languages.
The internationalization of the sport has been happening on-court as well as among the fans. In the 1990-91 series, there were 23 international players from 18 countries. Thirty-one years later, this had grown significantly to 121 players from 41 countries.
For overseas visitors to the US, for whom NBA tickets are a hot pick, the discussion boards are split on the best cities to visit. With New York City offering both the Knicks in Manhattan and the Nets in Brooklyn. Others recommend the West Coast for a Lakers game (and maybe a bit of celebrity spotting courtside). And for hard-core fans, there’s the possibility of centering the whole visit around the sport by renting a car and following games around Detriot, Cleveland, Indiana and Chicago. And, of course, specialist travel agencies help customers customize a vacation trip to make the most of an NBA season. Event-led travel at its very best.
Last Saturday, stars of the sport like Shaquile O’Neil joined celebrities from across the globe, like Ranveer Singh and Steve Harvey along with 18,000 fans to watch the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwalkee Bucks in both pre-season games at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
This is an appetizer for the main course, when the new NBA season kicks off with The Boston Celtics hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on 18th October. An estimated 21m people will see the game live. For many, their courtside visit will be the highlight of their vacation.
Tickitto is all about Opening the World and helping people make memories they will cherish forever. We partner with leading consumer brands to bring these events to their customers in a single eco-system via API, a white-label solution, or a hybrid mix of the two. In the case of NBA - as with many sports, theater and live music events - we unlock access to a range of different tickets to suit every pocket with seating map technology to make your customers' lives as easy as possible.
There are many commercial reasons for incorporating ticketing into your eco-system, but maybe the thing we love most at Team Tickitto, is that it’s our job to match the right fans with the right events, via the platforms they already know and trust
