Basketball: From Macron to sponsors, the NBA is cheating all of Paris
An interview with the president, plenty of sponsor activations, stars close to the floor of the AccorHotel Arena, including the French basketball star Victor Vembanyama, or even the presentation of a video game with the creators of Pokemon Go seemed to be the agenda of the NBA’s fatties for the week. a diplomatic visit as much as a self-introduction tour of the occupied territories. On January 18, in front of the council of ministers, Emmanuel Macron received the head of the NBA, Adam Silver, at the Elysee. “We discussed the development of basketball in France and the place of basketball in the 2024 Olympics. We will probably return next year.”
Three years after Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets arrival, the NBA star’s legendary former club shared a poster of the Chicago Bulls against the Detroit Pistons at the AccorHotel Arena. “This game is designed to appeal to our European fans,” said Ralph Rivera, director of NBA Europe and Middle East. France is the number one NBA trading country in Europe. We were able to activate seventeen sponsors for this match. Tickets sold out in less than five minutes.” The public movement against the pension reform will not stop fans from attending the meeting, where they pay €65-815. On the sponsor side, from Sorare to PlayStation via NFT cards, Nike, Tissot, Parions Sport or Deezer, something for everyone there is
After two years #NBA ?? He returned to the City of Light@DetroitPistons vs. @ChicagoBulls
THIS IS PARIS #NBAParis pic.twitter.com/Hny5xV8ZSc
— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) January 16, 2023
The match, which will be held this Thursday, January 19, will be broadcast both on Canal + en clear, the channel that created the NBA in the 2000s, and on beIN Sport, which has held the rights to the contest since 2012. “NBA is our oldest. right, has supported Florent Houzot, editorial director of beIN Sports, since the creation of the channel. This allows us to reach a younger audience than our other sports, while also allowing us to offer two matches from October to June. during the night.” Point out that basketball has found its place on the Qatar channel, “The NBA accounts for 7% of the airtime for 16% of the global audience, adds Florent Houzot. The transfer of this match to Paris, I think, is thanks to the fundamental work done by beIN over a decade.” .
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An NBA game inspired by Pokemon Go
The American League, which will surpass $10 billion in annual revenue for the first time in the 2021-2022 season, even used its presence in Paris to launch a video game. The studio Niantic, known for the success of Pokemon Go, is working on a mobile basketball game. NBA All World presents the players of the American league on the basketball courts. NBA All World adapts the augmented reality success of Pokemon Go, which attracted 120 million players in 2020, from real-life one-on-one game modes to learn who is the master of the court or shooting contest.
Hello Ballers! – Follow it @NBAAllWorldFR and stay tuned for more on this epic scavenger hunt. You don’t want to miss this hoops extravaganza pic.twitter.com/1xulRXWA0H
— NBA All-World (@nbaallworld) January 13, 2023
“Basketball is the #1 sport in the world for 18- to 20-year-olds,” explains John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, a first-time player in the world of sports. The game took three years to develop. “We are trying to break down the prejudices of fans: we can love basketball, but also develop other sports, Glenn Chin, director of marketing at Niantic. We want to create the first sports game that encourages players to go outside to play.” The game is definitely aimed at an audience of casual gamers, not gamers who are saturated with realistic game simulations like NBA 2K23. While NBA All World is free, there are many brands inside the game, such as adidas sneakers, which allow players to unlock some of them. Of course, it is possible to buy resources with cold hard cash in the entire World NBA.
Even before the match, NBA leaders realized that the operation was a complete success. Lobbying with key French leaders, conquered sponsors and a more responsive public than at present. The French capital is not the only city where the NBA sometimes moves regular season matches. Last December, the San Antonio Spurs took on the Miami Heat in Mexico City in an attempt to capture Central America. The pre-season games were organized in October in Abu Dhabi. Even if nothing is official yet, the NBA should still benefit from the gravitas in Paris next year. NBA-bound French prodigy Victor Vembanyama’s future club is looking to play at home early in the year to take advantage of the 2024 Olympic host city effect.
