By Andy Marston, Sports Pundit
In a first-of-its-kind partnership, The Athletic has teamed up with the NBA and WNBA to embed official league highlights directly into its journalism, creating a seamless experience between video content and in-depth reporting.
Launching in time for the NBA Playoffs and WNBA season, the collaboration includes new formats like The Athletic Spotlight, Video Essays, and The Bounce Weekly-ish, all designed to bring the action to life and give fans greater context behind the game’s biggest moments.
The Athletic will also promote live NBA and WNBA game viewership through embedded links, helping funnel readers toward real-time action.
With a roster of 25 NBA writers and a growing WNBA team (up 650% in readership YoY), this signals a deeper editorial and commercial investment into basketball.
Why It Matters:
This is more than adding highlights. While most leagues drop clips on YouTube and leave the rest to chance, this partnership creates a clearer link between content and outcome.
For the leagues, it’s a smart play to try to convert highly engaged digital attention into live viewership. This is especially important following their major TV rights renewal that spread matches across more broadcasters.
For The Athletic, it’s a bet on blending premium video with premium journalism, creating a richer experience for subscribers and a stronger foothold in basketball coverage.
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