NBA Teams with Zed to Expand Mobile Content Offerings

The National
Basketball Association (NBA) and Zed, a provider of digital entertainment,
unveiled a NBA mobile package in time for the 2008-09 NBA season. The new
multiyear agreement with Zed will further expand the league’s mobile offerings,
reaching basketball fans throughout North America, Europe and select countries
in
Asia.
While expanding the NBA’s overall mobile reach
to more than 20 countries, the agreement will also mark the first-time NBA mobile features will be available to fans in many countries
including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Germany along with Russia and
select countries in Asia.
“We are excited to work with Zed to
further expand our mobile offerings and allow NBA fans to
stay connected to our game, wherever they are,” said Attila Gazdag,
senior vice president of global media distribution for the NBA. “Zed’s mobile expertise in both global and local markets will help us
reach more fans, with more content, than ever before.”
“The
NBA has a loyal following around the world, and we look forward to offering
mobile-friendly NBA content and applications as the
leading mobile content company with a strong presence
in more than 50 countries,” said Javier
Perez Dolset, founder and chairman of Zed. “As we continue to strengthen our
global entertainment offerings, this new relationship will introduce new
opportunities to deliver a more compelling mobile experience for NBA fans
worldwide.”
Throughout
the year, basketball fans will be able to enjoy a suite of NBA mobile content, brought to their mobile by Zed,
including video highlights, wallpapers for all 30 teams and
ringtones. Along with NBA scores, statistics and news, fans
will eventually be able to access a series of casual NBA
games, create avatars, blog, join community platforms
and develop user-generated content (UGC).
Overall, the
NBA will leverage Zed’s extensive distribution channels, which include agreements
with more than 130 carriers worldwide. NBA content will also be pushed
through Zed’s direct-to-consumer offerings, including RingToneJukeBox.com, and the WallPaper JukeBox in the
U.S.
and Zed’s mobile subscription service, in the
U.S.,
Europe and
Asia.