As part of Microsoft’s official media partner relationship with the NBA, they created a new product of advanced metrics called NBA CourtOptix. These cutting edge statistics were designed to quantify the NBA in new ways, such as how much pressure a defender applies to an offensive player, or how high players jump on their jumpshots. Many of these numbers can be difficult to contextualize on their own – so Microsoft tapped Bleacher Report, a prominent league partner and digital publisher, to help tell the story and align these metrics with B/R’s organic NBA coverage.
Bleacher Report created “The Breakdown,” a video series designed to help fans better understand the game. In each episode, B/R sat down with an NBA player to break down his own highlights, sharing what he was thinking in the moment, how he approached the situation, and what was happening that the average fan can’t see. In addition, the video overlaid graphics that featured Microsoft advanced statistics to support the player’s storytelling. The result was a SVOD series that connected with NBA fans directly on their favorite NBA platform, with the players and Microsoft CourtOptix helping viewers understand the game like never before.
Nobody sees the game better than the players on the floor – until now, thanks to NBA CourtOptix. In “The Breakdown,” Microsoft Azure teamed up with Bleacher Report to go inside the minds and behind the metrics of what makes the NBA’s best players so successful. Sitting down with Mike Conley, Jrue Holiday and Collin Sexton, each episode features first-person analysis and next-level insights to help fans understand what makes these players so good at what they do.
This series was a universal success. The average performance is on-par with NBA editorial original content, a significant achievement given how integrated the product was into the videos.
TOTAL CAMPAIGN
9.9M total views (all creative cross-platform / long form, cutdowns, IG Stories)
1.5x delivery of guaranteed campaign goal
4.1M total cross-platform long form + cutdown video views
1.5x delivery of guaranteed campaign goal
5.8M total IG Story views
1.6x delivery of guaranteed campaign goal
In addition to the outstanding organic performance, this content was also organically aired on NBA TV as editorial content.
Because of the success of this program, we are now in production on Season 2 of the Breakdown.