SAN JOSE, Calif.—Roku has announced that it has partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to officially launch the first-ever NBA FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channel and the NBA Zone, where basketball fans can easily find NBA games, highlights, documentaries, original series, and more.
That makes the Roku Channel the inaugural partner of the first-ever NBA FAST channel. It is available exclusively through The Roku Channel for a limited time, the companies said.
“Roku offers the kind of sports streaming experience that no other platform has—everything is tailored to the fan, whether they’re a die-hard fanatic or just getting into the local team,” said Joe Franzetta, head of sports, Roku. “This strategic league partnership brings us a giant step further in our mission to make sports programming both easy to find and engaging to watch. We’re giving our users floor seats to an always-on experience, and we’re proud to be doing it in close collaboration with the NBA.”
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Roku with the NBA’s first FAST Channel and other NBA content and functionality that will serve as an enticement and on-ramp to live NBA games,” said Greg Beaton, NBA senior vice president of content partnerships. “This partnership supports our goal of reaching NBA fans with our content in innovative ways.”
Roku said that with hundreds of programming options to choose from, all in the NBA Zone, NBA fans and Roku users can stay up to date with their favorite teams, plus find the latest news, game highlights, and more. The NBA Zone is located within Sports in Roku’s Home Screen Menu, and users can also search similar terms with Roku Search or Roku Voice.
The NBA FAST channel on The Roku Channel will feature classic games, highlights, recaps, documentaries, original series, studio shows, and interviews, among other additional content. Viewers can access the NBA FAST channel on The Roku Channel, within related zones (Live TV Zone, Sports Zone, NBA Zone), through the Live TV Channel Guide or via The Roku Channel App, the companies said.
Roku will also be exclusively distributing over 40 live NBA G League games on a national basis during the 2024-2025 NBA G League season.
As part of this launch, the NBA App will be integrated within the NBA Zone, offering users quick access to the latest league news, behind-the-scenes stories, and game clips, so that fans never miss a moment. NBA League Pass, the NBA’s premium live out-of-market game subscription service, will also be available to purchase within the offering, the companies said.
“Bringing the NBA and the #1 TV streaming platform in the U.S. together in one package is not only good for the fans—it’s also great for advertisers looking to tap into the power of marketing in sports,” said Kristina Shepard, vice president of global advertising sales and partnerships at Roku. “We’re excited to give brands the opportunity to reach our expanding, highly engaged audience, with some of the biggest moments of the basketball season yet to come.”
