The partnership marks Cosm’s first deal with a professional sports league. It aims to bring new live-game viewing experiences to NBA League Pass members.
The NBA has partnered with experiential media, entertainment, and immersive technology company Cosm, the Association announced on Thursday.
As part of the deal, Cosm will use its venues to provide fans with live-game viewing experiences, meant to bridge the virtual and physical worlds. Cosm will showcase select NBA League Pass games on large-scale LED-dome systems equipped with 8K resolution. It calls this unique offering Shared Reality. For now, it’s only offered at Cosm Experience Center in Salt Lake City, home to NBA All-Star Weekend 2023.
The partnership marks Cosm’s first deal with a professional sports league.
“Our team has created an entirely new experience, driven by industry-leading technology, to give fans a new way to watch the game,” Cosm President and CEO Jeb Terry said in a release. “We have an incredible opportunity to work with a partner as innovative as the NBA, to combine our collective know-how, and to rewrite the playbook on how leagues, broadcasters, and brands can bring fans closer to the action than ever before. The promise of Cosm is to give you the best seat in the house, no matter where that house is. It is the best of at-home and in-arena experience as one, and we’re thrilled to deliver on that promise with the NBA.”
Cosm’s immersive experience takes fans into a stadium-like atmosphere. During NBA events, Cosm will offer fans upscale food and beverage options, specialized merch, and access to art visuals that take them virtually inside the arena. NBA ID members will get exclusive benefits at Cosm’s venues, including discounts on tickets, merchandise, and events.
“We are excited to bring NBA games to Cosm’s innovative venues and further our common goal of enhancing the fan experience,” Teddy Kaplan, associate VP and new media partner management lead at the NBA, said in a statement. “Cosm’s Shared Reality technology offers a new and exciting way to bring fans together in person and closer to the game.”
Aside from its SLC venue, Cosm is working on opening more experience centers in key markets. Potentially on the horizon is a venue in Los Angeles at Hollywood Park and another in Dallas at Grandscape. The tech company will elevate the partnership by hosting private events at its Experience Center throughout All-Star Weekend.
“Cosm is transforming the experience of the live game, and we could not have asked for a better partner than the NBA to show off the future of fandom,” Peter Murphy, VP and head of business development and partnerships at Cosm, said in a statement. “We look forward to leveraging Cosm’s unparalleled experience in experiential technology to distribute live NBA games in a way the world has never seen before. Through our partnership, NBA games will be a pillar in Cosm’s venue programming for years to come.”
Cosm also uses its dedicated centers as research and development facilities. Some of the tech company’s most notable work includes designing and installing a projection screen inside the tech center for student-athletes at the United States Naval Academy and partnering with NBC to stream more than 150 hours of 8K Live VR and on-demand interactive video of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
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