NBC Sports Next, New Youth Basketball League Announces Partnership
MINNEAPOLIS – NBC Sports Next, the technology unit of NBC Sports, has tipped off a new partnership with NXTPRO Sports, a development program and league that showcases elite youth basketball prospects to colleges of all levels. The new deal makes SportsEngine, NBC Sports Next’s leading provider of youth sports club, league and team management technology, the “exclusive streaming and video partner” of the PRO16 circuit.
With the video and streaming rights for the PRO16 circuit, SportsEngine will provide a variety of video services for each of the circuit’s 19 tournaments, totaling more than 4,900 games. The next tournament will take place June 30-July 2 in St. Louis, Mo. NXTPRO Sports will utilize SportsEngine’s best-in-class video technology to enhance their members’ overall experience through live streaming, video-on-demand, highlights, and more.
SportsEngine also will develop a new online viewing destination for the PRO16 circuit, which will offer:
- Live video streaming via internet-connected devices
- On-demand video streaming via internet-connected devices
- Scoring graphics that display live and past game scores
- Schedules for all tournaments and teams
- Game highlights
“We’re excited to provide our powerful video capabilities inside SportsEngine to benefit the PRO16 basketball circuit, its athletes and fan communities, as well as the large base of youth basketball players across the U.S.,” said Brett MacKinnon, SVP & General Manager, Youth & Recreational Sports, NBC Sports Next. “The immersive, interactive and educational capabilities of SportsEngine will allow coaches, athletes and fans of the PRO16 circuit to dive into video content from any device.”
SportsEngine also will create a PRO16 tournament portal on its online video platform, which will offer video tools for athletes to create their own video highlight packages.
"We are excited to partner with NBC Sports Next, which is innovating in the industry at an extremely high level,” said Matt Reynolds, CEO, NXTPRO Sports. “The quality of the video is the best I have ever seen, which provides a perfect platform for our players to be recruited at a higher level.”
SportsEngine continues to lead youth basketball as a provider of club and team management technology, partnering with such organizations as National Junior Basketball, National Wheelchair Basketball, M14 Hoops, and youth franchise programs. Its TourneyMachine tournament technology is used by the country’s largest youth basketball tournament operators, and the National Center for Safety Initiatives – and NBC Sports Next company – is the leading background screening provider for U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee-sanctioned National Governing Bodies, including USA Basketball’s National Team.
About NBC Sports Next
NBC Sports Next is a subdivision of NBC Sports and home to all NBCUniversal digital applications in sports and technology within Golf and Youth & Recreational Sports. Known for its sports technology product innovation, NBC Sports Next equips more than 30 million players, coaches, athletes, sports administrators and fans in 40 countries with more than 25 sports solution products, including GolfNow, the leading online tee time marketplace and provider of golf course operations technology and services; GolfPass the ultimate golf membership that connects golfers to exclusive content, tee time credits, coaching, tips and other benefits; and SportsEngine, an industry leader in youth sports club, league and team management technology and youth sports editorial content. NBC Sports Next is fueled by its mission to innovate, create larger-than-life events and connect with sports fans through technology to provide the ultimate in immersive experiences.
About NXTPRO Sports
NXTPRO Sports is a basketball scouting and events company spanning North America, comprised of the PRO16 and NXT leagues. The NXT league is represented by more than 400 teams competing across the U.S. and Canada, while the PRO16 league’s 16 programs compete in the U.S. only. Both leagues meet in July at the PRO16 Finals, where the top 16 teams from NXT join the 16 programs from PRO16 in a 32-team bracket-style competition. NXTPRO Sports also provides streaming and video tools for each league, with coverage also including the high school basketball season at state levels.
