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Twitch will start streaming US minor league basketball games

Twitch will start streaming US minor league basketball games

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Image: Twitch

For the first time, Twitch is going to start livestreaming the games of an official sports league. The NBA G League, the NBA’s official minor league, will stream up to six of its games each week, and will have a few interactive features on its Twitch channel, which goes live on Friday.

Viewers will be able to click on a team name or logo to check on stats, and receive loyalty points for engaging with the stream. Points can be used to unlock achievements, climb leaderboards, and earn prizes. Twitch hasn’t given much detail yet on what kinds of prizes. The channel will be co-streamed by more than a dozen Twitch celebrities, including GoldGlove, and some basketball fans.

Both Twitch and NBA G League heads say that the move will make minor league basketball games more relevant to a younger audience. “We aren’t a traditional sports experience on TV; we are much more,” said Michael Aragon, SVP of content at Twitch.

Twitch, which was acquired by Amazon in 2014, has typically been a casual place for game streamers and e-sports fans. Although the NBA G League is a minor league, this partnership hints at potentially more collaboration between Twitch and traditional sports leagues down the road.