NBA Creator Cup Spotlights League’s Long-Time Focus On Digital Content

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Before Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinals tip off in Las Vegas, T-Mobile Arena will play host to another high-profile basketball game.

On Friday night, the second edition of the Playstation NBA Creator Cup serves as an appetizer for Saturday’s action, but also its own showcase on something that’s unique to the NBA compared to all other leagues.

While other leagues have long kept game footage and access closely guarded in many cases (until fairly recently), the NBA has taken the opposite approach.

NBA’s Creator-First Credentials

The NBA established its formal creator program all the way back in 2016, as a way to more officially integrate the global collection of content creators constantly churning out posts and videos about the league. Last season, the NBA worked with over 150 creators, and this year, it plans to work with over 200 in total.

Where the NBA excels is with the level of access they provide creators. And while that can create the feeling of a “highlight league,” it’s also fueled significant growth and globalization of the game. The phenomenon known as #NBATwitter is a direct result of this far-reaching creator openness, which even includes the NBA Creator Network getting access to over 26,000 hours of game footage and editing tools.

One of the NBA’s veteran digital collaborators, Agent00, will also be a major part of Friday’s Creator Cup – which pits creators against one another on the basketball court. Along with serving as a coach during the event, he’ll also be live-steaming from NBA Cup media day – his third time live-streaming a league event.

“Even when I read that, it doesn’t feel real,” Agent00 told Forbes. “My third major NBA event! Getting the opportunity to interview some of the best ball players in the world is special. It also shows the NBA’s willingness to innovate since I’ll be among the traditional media, but with my own spin.”

Agent00 was part of the NBA’s first creator program and years ago, parlayed that early belief and his hard work into a full-time career and millions of followers. He’ll be one of many recognizable faces for fans at the NBA Creator Cup, with Strictly Bball’s Joe Doerrer will call the action on the stream, and over 10 more talented creators will be participating in the game in some form.

Successful Social Media Shifts

Between TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, video has shifted considerably toward short-form video. Data shared by Tubular Labs shows that 77.9% of U.S. YouTube views this year came from videos that were 60 seconds or less. And that tracks higher for sports, where 78.1% of the year’s U.S. sports videos on YouTube have been 60 seconds long or less.

The format shift has forced adjustments across the creator landscape in recent years, but top creators have figured out that formula, too.

“Short-form is top-funnel. It’s a way for people to be introduced to your content and to keep up with what’s going on, even if they’re familiar with your content,” said Agent 00. “Especially on some platforms where discoveries are not a core feature, and there’s no algorithms, it’s tough to direct people to that content without killing it on short-form.”

Tubular data shows that global basketball content trends are in lock-step with this idea. More than half (58%) of YouTube uploads about the sport were videos running 60 seconds or less. On TikTok, that number jumps up to 62%.

Agent00 predicts the next basketball content trend is already in progress, as more pro basketball players start getting into live-streaming. Current players like Luka Doncic, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns have live-streamed video game content at various points, and others like Paul George and Draymond Green host podcasts.

Given the star power of the NBA and the emphasis on recent players in league media – NBA On Prime is primarily former players – players live-streaming clearly has an audience already, for those willing to wade in.

When they do, the NBA certainly seems poised to support them within the impressive creator ecosystem it’s already spent a decade-plus building.