This is fantastic stuff, but am I just not reading it properly (or it's not explained properly) that this seasons games are only live but past content is on demand?

I only ask as I'd love to be able to ditch FoxSports subscription as it's otherwise a waste of money...

Full season ticket holders of Australian NBL Clubs will receive a FREE All Access Pass to NBL TV - @JeremyLoeliger

— NBL (@NBL) September 7, 2016

Fans will be able to enjoy hundreds of classic NBL games including every Grand Final since 1979 through NBL TV - @JeremyLoeliger

— NBL (@NBL) September 7, 2016

"Full season ticketholders of NBL Clubs will be given a free All Access Pass for the 2016/17 season with all games available. "

I can't like this quote enough.

Nice.. hopefully they'll have a lot of classic playoff series / games in there.

Very good move, too early to slag it off and there'll be some teething issues no doubt, but give it a chance for them to work it out.

Hopefully it will be something very good in a couple years that China based fans will take up on and subscribe too once they get to know our players and teams from participating in the ABC.

I generally had a good experience with the app last year, just not much in the way of support or replies.

They seem to be reading and replying to feedback on certain posts so hopefully it gets relayed back to the people that matter.

That's a great deal.

I remember in 2014/15 (I think it was?) I got it half price with my 7 game membership. Paid $50.

But even for general public this year, $5 a month is $30 total for October through March, which is a lot cheaper than previously.

The platform sounds a lot like the WWE Network.

Hopefully the new NBL TV platform will allow for original content, such as a weekly wrap-up show to be produced and aired.

$5 a month is well cheap too!

I particularly like the word "hundreds" (O_O)

I wonder whether Fox supports this or feels a little devalued by it. I suppose it depends on the approach by both Fox and the NBL - there could be significant cross-advertising here.

Hopefully this becomes an app on Telstra TV - that would be terrific.

I know there's real advantages to having a well resourced LK and Fox doing production of all games which previous NBL managements never had, but this announcement (albeit we haven't seen it in practice yet) shows why i've been pretty confident and supportive of the 'LK era' - even if he's a Victorian with a potential conflict of interest in the ownership of Melbourne United.

This shows business nous, there's real advertising capabilities by having as many people watching it as possible and you want to be able to spread the product as far and wide as possible.

#1 You'll likely get a lot of members watching this product since it's for free. Ultimately you don't want to be relying on members to be shelling out for both club membership and a subscription TV product - many won't.

#2 There would be a significant number of 18-40's who follow the NBL a little bit - to the extent of their local Sydney Kings, or their local Adelaide 36ers etc. who don't care enough to buy NBL TV or Fox Sports or even tune in and record on television but would do the simple action of clicking a button on their phone or accessing a website link to see their side play for free in high quality.

To be honest I think this is a pretty sizeable market in Australia already for the NBA. If it isn't already I think it could become athe same for the NBL or at least translated into one by providing free home & away games for a person's particular side.

#3 If you're a dedicated fan it's not even that easy to chuck in $50-$80 for an online streaming product of the NBL. The initial NBLTV was a disgrace, the NBL/Fox NBL Pass was much better and at least felt like there was some sort of return of value to it.

Effectively $30 for 6 months, it seems a pretty perfect price tag and it's easier to sell to a mainstream market. What they've done even better is the Netflix idea where they're charging a very reasonable price per month so you don't think about how much you're spending. $10-15 a month for Netflix seems reasonable - but you're shelling out $180 per year which is actually some serious dough. $5 a month for NBL seems even more reasonable than $30 for the season!

#4 Finallyyyyyy they're providing classic games. For too long the NBL have happily disregarded its own history. I have noticed NBL classics have played on Fox the last year or so, that was a nice step, but having it on demand is great for immersing those who are interested in the game. It also adds real value for those buying NBL TV. To be honest I won't be watching that 2001 Hawks v 36ers game....but I would be super keen to see the 2002/03 36ers v Razorbacks games 1 and 3 of the Grand Final which I never got to watch!

Of course - this product can provide real opportunities of progress for the NBL but it's reliant on a few things. Assuming the Telstra resources allow it to stream well and in HD, there's a few other things:

a) Accessibility - Have it on Telstra TV, easy to find phone app for iPhone & Android and a dedicated website for it and have NBL providing direct clear links to it.

b) Make registration as easy as humanly possible. Link registration to Facebook for those who use FB or just an e-mail/phone number with a password or even easier a pin code, ask what team you support and leave it at that. Don't make the effort outweigh interest in product just to data mine, the NBL can't afford to lose people on that basis, there's no where near enough genuinely or semi- interested people to have disregard for even the barely interested.

c) Make the website & app super easy to navigate and use, don't make people click through menu options to access, find a way to sell the current/good games visibly the moment they get on the app or website. I know Optus Premierleague is crap streaming wise, but maybe look at their front page, it does the job. It's got the games coming up, then replays, then shows then highlights below that have classics. Just have a tab that filters for Team and Rounds and you're set.

d) They should have the weekly Highlights Show that Fox produced available for streaming. They could even do NBL News or NBL Wrap on a Mon/Tues which shows the quickest of highlights of each match, results, press-conference quick bits, any injuries and ladder. It can go for 5-8 minutes.

Then do an NBL Preview on a Wed or Thurs, showing fixtures, last time they met for matches, analysis of form, key matchups - again lasting 5-8 minutes.

that this seasons games are only live

A little recap from these three articles:
http://www.nbl.com.au/featured-news/selfishly-unselfish/
http://www.nbl.com.au/featured-news/nbl-telstra-extend-partnership/
http://www.nbl.com.au/featured-news/201617-nbl-season-schedule-release/

Broadcast
» Every game televised live on Fox Sports
» Every game available live via streaming on NBL TV
» Hundreds of classic games including every grandfinal since 1979 available on NBL TV

Streaming
» NBL TV will stream through mobile to tablet, desktop and TV
» Includes Telstra TV
» Includes casting? "as well as having the ability to push content to large screens"


Pricing
» $5 per month streaming cost for NBL TV
However.....
» Telstra mobile customers access NBL TV for free (it's how I read it)
» NBL club members access NBL TV for free
» Fans can access every game of their club of choice for free

Unknowns
» Whether any shows/highlights or otherwise will be produced/broadcast
» Whether NBL TV will be available for Foxtel customers or News Corp Australia customers like last season
» Date of launch of NBL TV
» Whether there will be a Free to Air Partner broadcasting a 'game of the week' like last season
» Any radio broadcasters for this season

Thx KET

EON sports radio will be broadcasting NBL games this season

http://eonsports.com.au/about-eon-sports-radio/

Is the free pass for members to the whole thing, or just the current-season content? Seems like it's just the latter, from that Loeliger quote.

I'm pretty sure it'll be the whole thing.

Hope they have options on TV streaming for 480 or 720 for slower connections.

It's to the whole thing Kobe, it's an All Access Pass which includes Classic games.

Reading through FB Comments...

It seems pretty clear there will be an announcement regarding Apple TV very soon. NBL TV will be up in a few weeks, and they've got thousands of matches being digitised, they've chosen the best 'hundreds' to upload.

There are a lottttt of people disenchanted by version NBL TV and even last years NBL Live looking at Facebook.

The NBL have placed a strong emphasis on replying to just about each and every one stating the app is being upgraded completely, totally different system and new support guys. The NBL line is basically: Give us a second chance, we won't provide the same crap as last season or season before that.

That makes it a third chance. If you include the renewed promises about NBL TV after the de-merger, it's a fourth chance.

Given the amount of people getting it free, hopefully word of mouth gets the more hesitant ones on board. Assuming it's as good as they're promising.

I was ok with last years app, but I know a of other ppl couldn't even log on and had little to no support to can understand.

Hope they've listened and the coming set-up will be a pleasant experience for everyone.

One of the things I'd like to see is the current season's game available for replay during the whole season, as last year it only had the current rounds game available on the app until the next round started.

Having said that, can't say enough times how impressed I am since the takeover by LK and how much they have done and are still doing to bring it to the prime time goal he set at the start.

I read the NBL members get free all access pass?

That's a great summation KET and I think some great points moving forward... I thought the On Demand stuff worked well enough for the first version of NBL tv, but the technology used and live streaming was shit... The lack of on demand put me off last seasons, as I don't get to watch many games live unless I am actually at the game, so this wasn't for me...

Quality streaming with uncomplicated tech and on demand content (that you don't have to wait the next day for if you miss the start of! I usually get to watch after the kids go to bed, which is often from half time, if users can start watching live content from the start and catch up like youTube, that would be ideal) is the best way to get people using it, coming back AND telling people about it...

Tying in Facebook would be great and making it easy to share things like "I'm now watching , click to watch it too!" and have a one click sign on so people can watch on their phones or other devices to get a taste and encourage them to come back to it if they can't watch a full game then and there...

The problem though, as with most NBL stuff, is to get the message out there and convince people it's a great idea to watch the game... Can have the best product in the world, but they're still up against footy fans that often have a boofhead view of it...

All in all though, this is a fantastic step and I hope it really gets some traction!

My favourite quote from Roy Wards article. "Kestelman said NBL TV had hired the same company as the NBA to provide TV graphics." Now thats something to get excited about!

Loeliger just confirmed on Twitter that the free pass does include all historical content.

Per Guy Neville, it starts at hundreds of games and will expand over time to thousands. Decent coverage of most seasons, although not every game. Sounds like they're all broadcaster tapes rather than VHS sources, too.

*drools*

I'm actually finding this a little bad in one sense. My previous philosophy with old content was to watch every single game I could get my hands on, and the limited availability meant I could do that.

I'm going to spend a lot of time worrying about what I'm missing out on now. I do have a reasonable list of games I want to watch that I haven't been able to find; hopefully most or all of that will be on there. After that...I have no idea what I'm going to do.

Honestly imagine what the NBL would be now if it wasnt for LK and JL wow!

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/basketball/nbl-tv-can-be-mostwatched-digital-sports-channel-league-boss-larry-kestelman-20160907-grauak.html

The link for those interested - it's definitely worth a read because it gives an idea of the NBL's plans, expectations and determination in respect to its digital product.

In brief:

#1 Unlikely games will be streamed via Foxtel's online services.

#2 NBL is making a "heavy investment" in online coverage and working with Telstra on NBL TV. They have heavily boosted the support and technical backing for NBL TV.

#3 NBL is paying for production for all NBL games

#4 NBL TV have hired the same company as the NBA to provide TV graphics

#5 NBL TV to be streamable via Chrome Cast, Apple TV and other TV services

#6 This is a very heavy financial commitment, taking a long-term approach, but have a lot of corporate support and more sponsors coming on board.


I'm surprised by the lack of Foxtel online streaming. I think this suggests the NBL is taking complete control of the product for its NBL TV.

Also surprised by the fact the NBL is paying for all of the production costs (I gathered this was shared last year with Fox?). Maybe this is LK's way of dictating quality of coverage, or a compromise which had to be made to convince Fox. By the sounds of it, it took some serious negotiating and convincing for Fox to agree to the new deal.

It's a good sign the NBL have engaged the same company as the NBA to do graphics, although I actually think the NBA TV graphics suck....also Fox's NBL graphics last season were pretty decent.

It's seems NBL have put a lot of its eggs into NBL TV and digital product generally, so this points to their emphasis on getting this right and trying to create market reach and commercial opportunities out of it.

This move looks to me as a sign of the NBL and Fox parting ways after this season and becoming the first Australian pro sports league to be 100% covered digitally through streaming.

Including historic games is a masterstroke for mine. I wasn't a fan before the 13/14 season and I recently became an NBL junkie after being strictly an NBA fan. After watching NBAussie's Golden Era doco's I am more keen than ever to see the leagues heydays

I highly doubt that Tom, the NBL announced only a month ago they've got Fox as a broadcast sponsor for the next few seasons.

Plus, it would be suicide to go 100% streaming. This is actually a big call to heavily invest given it will take a sizeable chunk of the budget for the medium-long term - that's effectively requiring significant cross-subsidisation.

I know that Netflix and the 7Olympic App do well, but they're mainstream while the NBL doesn't have the kind of ability to push their app like Channel 7 does, nor are they instilled in popculture like Netflix is. For streaming, you need to get people to 1. Be aware of NBL TV and 2. go to the effort to sign up/potentially pay - you won't get that in major numbers from the mainstream.

While at least Free to Air (and even Fox Sports) people may see the NBL just by turning on the TV or flicking through channels.

Digital coverage is great - but 100% as a complete replacement for Fox/FTA would be disastrous...even in this digital and streaming age.

Bit confused on the bit where is says

" Fans can access every game of their club of choice for free"

So that means for say i'm a Taipans fan if thats the only team i want to watch i can get it for free"

ie- I'am a Telstra customer as well

Sean I think they're different options. Telstra customers will get it for free. Others, who don't have Telstra and only want to watch their own team will get it free. Others who want full access will have to pay.

So this is actually pretty damn awesome. Can't wait to see some old games. I'd pay 5 a month just for that. I'm Facebook they replied to my comment and said it'll only geoblocked in NZ so I'll be able to access in Brazil.

Looks like a lot of early mornings for me!

Has it been established Telstra customers will get it free?

The other thing you missed was that all season members get it free.

Regarding this replacing TV: I'm with KET. Even with as much free availability as it has, you still need to not only know about it, but also sign up. There's not any sort of 'just turn it on and watch' option like there was with the Olympics coverage.

There's also the fact that places like Netflix charge millions of people $12 a month, whereas NBL TV would be lucky to charge 20,000 people $5 a month. Most people who want the paid service are already going to be season members; the free one-team service will be enough for most fans.

How does the AFL situation work, out of interest? I know that Telstra mobile customers get it for free - does that extend to the Telstra TV version or just the mobile version?

They've said that Telstra *mobile* customers get access for free - I don't know if that's only for mobile app access or how it will work. I don't know if Telstra TV customers will have to pay or get it for free.

Let's assume for now other Telstra cutomers ie home phone or internet are not included as that would cover almost everyone in Australia....

--

I'd be interested as to how many people watch the streams this year, next year etc. I wonder what the NBL's aim is for buying customers, total of individual streamers and total of overall streams for the season.

An FTA deal is still going to be super crucial - preferably main channel. Even if it's game of the week Sunday afternoon. It will have the NBL and its sponsores exposed to 80-100k+ viewers each week.

Fox you get lots of coverage, you get maybe 20-60k watching matches ratings wise and you get the NBL shown in pubs nationally (which tbh I think would push the viewers beyond that mark.... incidentally, on more than a few occasions at decent restaurants & pubs I saw NBL on the TV last season while eating or having drinks with mates)

These types of figures the NBL won't get from streaming yet, and they won't be able to access that mainstream market like TV.

I need to start apologising for such long posts if I keep this up...

They've said that Telstra *mobile* customers get access for free

I assume Telstra mobile customer will get the subscription for free as thats what they do for the NRL and AFL. It will also most likely be unmetered for Telstra customers, meaning it doesn't count towards you mobile data usage.

I need to start apologising for such long posts if I keep this up...

"Full season ticketholders of Australian NBL Clubs will be given a free All Access Pass for the 2016/17 season with all games available. (Further details on how to subscribe will be provided soon) Fans of a particular club who are not full season ticket holders will able to watch their nominated team at home and on the road for free."

In other words, it is free for everyone members and non-members?

Why do they seperate the two into different sentences?

If it's free for everyone then why not just say so. "NBL TV will be free for everyone".

They will need to release a Smart TV app for TVs such as Sony, Samsung, LG etc because I hope they realise that the Android store and the 'store' for Smart TVs are different!!

"Hundreds of classic games including every grandfinal since 1979 available on NBL TV."

While this is fantastic, they really need to put season games on Demand too so people can watch if they can not watch it live.

Plus putting season games on demand should occur as soon as the live broadcast has finished, not a week after.

Yes Bobby, it getting a bit confusing but early stages.

From what I believe, the $5 will give you All Access which includes all season games (not just your team), the historical content and any extra stuff which I believe will be announced in the coming weeks.

Although I've seen contrasting reports saying other things like the free pass includes historical content as well.. so will wait and see what else they come up with.

I just signed up with Telstra a couple of weeks ago so hopefully will get unmetered streaming when I'm out and about.

To be honest I'm (far) more excited about the classic games than this seasons stuff. Obviously because in the classic games I still have a team

Personally, I think it's an act of genius moving towards an all-digital strategy, especially considering it's free for many and next-to-free for everyone else. That's the way the world is going, and the NBL isn't going to draw the same type of lucrative tv deals the other major leagues get anyway, so go for it IMO.

I loved having all the games on Foxtel this past season, but would love it even more if I could stream them live or on-demand with good video quality, which was the biggest issue with the old NBL.tv.

@Bobby - Fans of a club that are not season ticket holders wont get the full access pass for free. They can nominate their club and will only get access to that clubs home and away games. They wont be able to watch other games not featuring their team or have access to the classic games, hence the 2 different statements :)

Thanks Train. $30 a season is pretty good as long as it never buffers, the sound quality is top notch and the resolution is HD quality.

Just need apps for PC, Tablets, Phones, and Smart TVs.

I can't wait for the classic games. It will give me plenty to watch during the off season.

NBL App on Apple TV would be massive. For me at least

This is great and I'd happily pay $5/month regardless, but I wonder about move.

If it is free to watch every game of "your team", and free for all NBL members to watch everything, how many other NBL fans will want to watch games not involving their team? At $5/month multiplied by a small subset of the NBL fan base, it seems like this might not generate much income.

May as well just use YouTube to steam every game. That'd be free and reliable, so only production costs of games are involved without the need to rely on other streaming partners (I still have very bad memories of nbl.tv with Perform doing the streaming).

It's not designed to generate income, it's designed to get more people watching the league, and people who already follow it watching more often.

Did not renew my Season Tickets this year but will definitely subscribe to this. Able to watch on all my devices live or delayed is just great. I will continue subscription in the off season and watch old games and to support the service.

If the quality is any thing like catchup tv services it will be good. I subscribed to the old nbl.tv by Perform and though it wasn't a good product I was satisfied with it. I get 2.3Mbps down so Internet is not great for me. That's why I still have not got netflix yet.

Great news and like Betty I hope there will be options for those us with shitty internet connections to still be able to stream the games in lower than HD quality.

"Fans of a particular club who are not full season ticket holders will able to watch their nominated team at home and on the road for free"

Am I the only one interpreting as aimed at fans buying 3/5/7 game part-season tickets, rather than just anyone and everyone?

Yes.

I do wish there was more detail about what games are included, what their sources are, how searchable/sortable it's all going to be, etc.

Couldn't even get a straight answer about whether games that only part-aired on ABC (the one-hour "Sunday Basketball" versions from 98-01 and the second-half-only broadcasts from 79 to the mid-eighties) are in full. I do happen to know the Sunday Basketball games were recorded in full, with commentary, and then edited down later, rather than being edited down and then dubbed over, but I'm not sure if that would be the case further back.

They said there would be more announcements soon. Just hold up on that.

Well, presumably it'll launch at some point, too, and we'll obviously know plenty then. It's just a bit frustrating not knowing exactly how excited to be.

When WWE Network was announced, they had screenshots of the front end, a presentation walking people through how it worked, very specific content listings, and an exact launch date. This has none of that. Even just a launch date would be helpful.

As it stands, I might well die of excitement before it even opens up.

I don't think the NBL has WWE kind of money

True, but I'm not sure which parts of that would cost anything. The huge press conference, sure, but you can convey the same information in other ways.

The simpler things can require significant logistics for those with limited resources.

It might not be the best example as I don't really know how hard it is kitting out clubs, but i'm always surprised how it takes until the very first game of the season for NBL clubs to wear their new season gear...unless you're Melbourne United. You'd think by now 36ers would be using their Mitchell & Ness stuff, or the Hawks and Taipans would be wearing something better than training gear for pre-season games. It actually portrays the NBL as unprofessional IMO.

(As an aside, for those who want to apportion blame for crappy design - Melbourne United designed their own singlets so this indicates that responsibility lies with each club and not Mitchell & Ness)

More relevant to the streaming, i'm not convinced they even have the app or streaming site completed enough to provide screenshots at this point. I wouldn't even be surprised if the app and streaming site lacks polish or even consistent functionality on release. That's perhaps pessimism exuding from NBL's historic track record with technology and things generally.

A video or graphic walk through is again, something where the limited resources and man power of the NBL is probably being directed else where instead.

I look at it this way: for now LK is bringing basic competence into the NBL which has lacked for decades, but i'm not confident of the operations being polished and professional just yet. It might get there with LK, I certainly hope so.

From what I understand this version of NBL TV has been in planning since the de-merger back in 2013.

From what I understand this version of NBL TV has been in planning since the de-merger back in 2013.

I don't know how long the actual streaming service portion of it has been in the works - old NBL TV existed back then - and I'm only piecing it together from things that have been said publicly, no inside knowledge.

I'd assume the streaming portion is fairly recent, if Telstra are heavily involved. This is only their second year as a league sponsor. However, it wouldn't surprise me if the league has been working with them right from the sponsorship announcement last year.

Uniform design is done by a contract firm, and then approved by the league and clubs. So it's a collaborative effort.

Rumour is that there was a fire in a Gold Coast factory that is responsible for some of the uniform production. If there is a delay with some of the clubs getting kitted out and selling new merch, then that could explain it.

Not sure if the above is confidential, but it might be worth deleting the post.

That's interesting and unfortunate about the factory if true.

So we're roughly a week away from the ABC, which was given as a potential launch time, and still no news.

Which means either they have a launch date, they're just not telling us because they don't feel like it, or they don't have a launch date because they don't know when it'll be ready.

Does the first of those options seem at all likely? I'd put more faith in it if they hadn't announced anything yet, but they have.

I think the potential launch was a few weeks after the announcement which was only a week ago. I sort of read the NBL's comments as the launch being potentially after the Pre-season Basketball Challenge.

The league has not set a date for when subscriptions will open, but has pencilled in late September, around the time of the pre-season tournament, now known as the Australian Basketball Challenge, in Brisbane.

I really hope that NBL TV is much improved than what they are delivering from Brisbane now. It buffers alot, a few minutes at a time every 30 seconds, and it's blurry in full screen mode. Simply not good enough.

If it's like this for NBL TV then I'll simply have to scramble to get Foxtel.

Yeah, I've spent more time watching the buffering screen than I have watching the basketball.

I've had no problems...

Are you on NBN? I feel that is the only way to watch this without streaming.

Sadly this is probably the only time to watch those Chinese teams and it's all spoilt due to the quality of the stream. Shame that.

I doubt they can fix it before tonight as they'll probably need to order more bandwidth and those things don't happen on the weekend.

Telstra cable

Can't even load it at all now, the progress bar is stuck at zero.

Was working perfectly last night. Netflix, YouTube etc all work just fine. Problem can't be at my end.

Try refreshing? It's working for me...there's a timeout atm

Absolutely nothing would get it to load at all. Rebooted my router, rebooted my PC, nothing. Plugged my phone in and set up tethering and it worked.

So something to do with my connection, but no idea what given I'm getting 5Mbps download and can watch YouTube and Netflix just fine.

NBL getting some love on Oz Bargain.

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/267443

Looks like it'll launch on Tuesday then. Not sure why that hasn't been announced if it is the case.

Also not sure why they didn't launch it before the ABC, which would give them a chance to iron out any kinks in the live streaming before opening night.

What about Smart TVs or Apple TV etc? For those that does not have Telstra TV?