NBA Partners With Japanese Tech Company Rakuten for Online Distribution Deal
Though the National Basketball Association (NBA) has gone a long way in becoming a global name, the league is poised to further extend its reach outside of the United States.
According to an NBA.com report, the world's most popular basketball league and Japanese tech company Rakuten forged and announced their partnership. The deal puts Rakuten as the NBA's exclusive distribution partner in Japan. The multiyear partnership covers all the live NBA games starting with the 2017–2018 regular season.
"We are very excited to partner with the NBA to bring all the action of the world's top basketball league to fans in Japan," said Rakuten founder and CEO, Hiroshi "Mickey" Mikitani.
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"As we have recently announced that we are proud partners of the Golden State Warriors, the NBA's reigning champions, it is an honor to expand our contributions to the global growth and development of basketball with this NBA partnership," Mikitani added.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, on the other hand, expressed his excitement and optimism with the partnership. Our new relationship with Rakuten speaks to the appetite that our passionate fans in Japan have for live NBA games and content, and we look forward to working with Rakuten to provide the most comprehensive NBA coverage to date," said Silver.
Meanwhile, USA Today noted that the partnership was the NBA's biggest and most extensive in Japan. With the deal, Rakuten will get to offer the NBA LEAGUE PASS to its members in the country via the NBA.com website, the NBA mobile app, and through Rakuten TV.
Fans residing in Japan will now get the chance to catch all the NBA action from the preseason and all the way to the NBA Playoffs and Finals. In addition, the partnership also gives Rakuten the free hand to create NBA and team zones. They can also sell NBA merchandise globally through their online channels.
As for the monetary details of the contract, a source close to the matter said that the league will be paid $225 million for the duration of the contract.
