The NBA All-Star game is scheduled for this Sunday, and Turner Sports is all set to bring in some innovative and creative broadcasting techniques to grow its audience base. In an effort to do so, the network will be using a technique similar to that of their competitor ESPN. While the All-Star game will be shown on TNT, TBS, TruTV, and Max, the NBA All-Star Game ALTCAST will mark the Sports analyst debut of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. The star forward will be paired with two of the most vocal individuals in the NBA in the last 35 years, Golden State Warriors’ 4x champion Draymond Green and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
This ALTCAST will be available on truTV and Max and will include journalist Taylor Rooks as the host and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford will be the sideline reporter throughout the weekend. Tatum will be an analyst for the 3-Point Contest that will be held Saturday Night. Saturday the title is a little different, just adding “Access 23 Jordan Brand ALTCAST,” which will include Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony.
TNT’s Sports Executive Vice President and CCO Craig Barry mentioned that this new-aged opportunity has creatively given them a lot of wiggle room.
“In the past, we haven’t had as much flexibility around network real estate, and now with the new company we’ve been given some opportunity to see if we can create some adjacent sports opportunities that create a certain level of engagement and value for fans,” Barry told the media.
He also spoke on the obvious pairing of Barkley and Green and that their chemistry could not be denied.
“Over the last couple of years when Draymond has come to the studio or which interactions at All-Star Games, it was really evident the chemistry between him and Charles,” Barry said. “There was a lot of dialog and fun and provocative debate. It’s something that we think fans potentially want to see more of so we thought this was an opportunity to sit them down next to each other and essentially watch the game together.”
With the assistance of a great duo, it is believed that the NBA may have found some of its best content of the season. The outcome will be revealed on Sunday.
