The NBA, video game giant Take-Two Interactive and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed in principle to a multiyear extension of their partnership, continuing the NBA 2K video game franchise, while also expanding into new areas.
One of those new areas is media and entertainment, with the companies unveiling what they are calling NBA Take-Two Media, which will combine competitive gaming, social and long-form entertainment programming and live events.
“At a high level, it is based on the idea that basketball is a connective tissue in the wider world of pop culture,” says Andrew Perlmutter, the CEO of NBA Take-Two Media, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “NBA Take-Two Media is a modern entertainment company that brings fans and players closer together through playful storytelling and immersive live events that are focused exclusively off the court. I’d say more specifically, we weave NBA players, celebs, creators and regular fans together in fun, irreverent, reality style programming oriented around music, fashion, gaming, food, lifestyle — to name some topics and formats — that range from interviews and makeovers to stunts and game shows.”
One of the first shows to debut from the new company will be a travel series fronted by former NBA all-star Joakim Noah, who will travel around the world to explore how basketball is played in local communities.
Perlmutter says that the company will produce its original programming and social content in-house, though he leaves open the door for collaborating with creators on social platforms.
“I think we’re at a moment where creators have developed the most engaging programming on social, and there’s an opportunity to learn the lessons of creators and apply those lessons into programming that comes from really fantastic IP, such as the NBA,” he says. “So on the social side, you can expect everything from 30 second formats to longer-form, 15 minute-style programs with a voice that is fun and irreverent.”
NBA Take-Two Media was forged after the NBA and Take-Two paused its NBA 2K League last year, a competitive gaming venture that launched in 2018. NBA Take-Two Media will include a “reimagined” 2K League that will blend gameplay and storytelling, and feature “NBA teams and players, celebrities, creators, and fans,” the companies say. The new 2K League will launch later this year.
“The basic idea is to use 2K competition to create a really fun and entertaining constellation of programming,” Perlmutter says. “2K is beloved by NBA players and celebs and creators and regular people, and we will still have NBA teams represented, we will still dole out titles, but the point is to basically overlay really fun entertainment programming formats on top of the competition.”
The purpose of reimagining the league in the context of the larger media company is meant to take advantage of a moment in time where it feels like sports and popular culture are converging in meaningful ways. Where the former league appealed to gaming fans, the new venture may appeal to a wider swath of NBA fans.
“The opportunity to me, is much broader than than just competitive gaming,” Perlmutter says. “There is this wider world of culture that we have a really unique opportunity to tap into and grab with a distinctive brand. It stems from the idea that we’re at a massive inflection point in culture, and this represents the biggest and most exciting thing you could do with it.”
Of course, the partnership also means that NBA 2K — which has sold more than 150 million copies — will continue for years to come.
“NBA 2K has engaged a new generation of basketball fans in an increasingly digital world,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. “By expanding our partnership and creating NBA Take-Two Media, we look forward to building on the incredible success of the NBA 2K franchise.”
“We are immensely pleased to continue our longstanding, highly successful partnership with the NBA and the NBPA and look forward to building upon the record-setting achievements that we have accomplished together,” added Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive. “I would like to thank Adam Silver, Andre Iguodala, and all our partners at the NBA and NBPA for their continued support and shared vision to empower NBA 2K to become the premier interactive entertainment basketball franchise. We are excited to unveil NBA Take-Two Media and look forward to seeing how it will create an entirely new and multi-faceted NBA experience for our communities.”
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