Gaming
NBA app launches multiview feature for 2024-25 season
Mumbai: The NBA announced the launch of new features available to fans globally on the NBA app – the official home of basketball – for the 2024-25 season, showcasing the league’s dedication to innovation to enhance the fan viewing experience. The new elements are highlighted by multiview now available on connected devices, which gives fans the option to watch up to four games simultaneously on NBA league pass – the league’s live game subscription service.
In addition, NBA league pass subscribers worldwide will have the ability to customize their viewing experience and always be live when watching NBA games. Fans can smart rewind games from any point with key plays highlighted, download full games for offline viewing and access a range of game recap versions including “All Possessions,” “10-Minute Condensed,” “Key Highlights,” and more. Additionally, the app will offer interactive synced stats and analytics, ensuring fans experience the game in the app as if it is live no matter when they are watching.
Among the game-changing enhancements is “NBA Insights,” an AI-powered tool that leverages the power of Microsoft Azure. The feature uses AI rooted in deep basketball understanding to identify key narratives, player performances, and notable milestones, providing fans with a continuous feed of text-based updates that go beyond the box score to better contextualise what’s happening on the court. The league is also using Generative AI to localize content, offering game recaps in French, Portuguese and Spanish as well as translations for select original programming and live games.
Additionally, content on the NBA app throughout the season will incorporate “Dunk Score,” an AI-calculated grade for in-game dunks in real-time based on a breadth of factors including the player’s jumping distance, style and force at the rim, and defensive efforts from the opposing team.
“Pass the Rock,” the popular NBA app series highlighting the emerging league stars, returns today for season three with a special “Rookie Year Edition.” This episode will follow San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s transition to the NBA, culminating in him being named the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year. On Sunday, Oct. 20, the NBA will launch “Raising 18,” a nine-part docuseries narrated by five-time NBA All-Star Al Horford spotlighting the Boston Celtics’ journey to their 2024 NBA Finals victory.
Popular experiential features within the NBA App have been enhanced to increase personalization, including the all-new ‘Following’ tab, which combines the latest content from your favourite teams and players into an algorithmic feed as well as the revamped “Game Stories” now with pre-game analysis, highlights and interactive polls. “Moments” – the popular vertical social media-style feed feature – has been upgraded to include multi-language support and can now be accessed on Roku TVs for quick content consumption on larger screens.
On NBA league pass, fans will have access to more than 800 live out-of-market games and a variety of alternate telecast options, including in-language streams (Spanish, Portuguese and Korean), the return of the popular “NBA Strategy Stream” providing fans with a unique viewing option breaking down in-game tactics and “NBA HooperVision” featuring NBA legend Quentin Richardson and special guests. Additional alternate stream options will be announced throughout the season.
NBA league pass will also be the primary destination for NBA games every weekend in November, with all games scheduled to stream on the platform (with no national blackouts). Subscribers can access up to 15 games a day on weekends throughout the month, with NBA ID members – the league’s global membership program – receiving complimentary access to NBA League Pass during the first Member Days of the season on November 16 and 17. NBA ID members in the United States and Canada will also have the opportunity to participate in a series of challenges in the NBA App and NBA.com between Oct. 20-27 for a chance to win a trip to the Emirates NBA Cup in Las Vegas. For more information on NBA ID.
The league continues to expand the technological capabilities of its “Next Gen integrated digital platform,” which is now powering four team-specific direct-to-consumer streaming services in the NBA App, including BlazerVision (Portland Trail Blazers), ClipperVision (LA Clippers), Jazz+ (Utah Jazz) and Suns Live (Phoenix Suns). The platform, which is the technology backbone for the NBA App, is also enabling Spectrum SportsNet+ (Los Angeles Lakers).
NBA League Pass premium commercial-free packages are available on NBA.com and in the NBA App for $159.99 a season (or $24.99 a month) or $109.99 (or $16.99 a month) for a standard package. The NBA app – a product of NBA digital, the league’s joint venture with TNT sports – is powered by Microsoft Azure.
Gaming
Dream Sports sees 100 plus exits after gaming ban forces overhaul
Company splits into eight units as real money gaming law hits revenue.
MUMBAI: For a company built on fantasy leagues, reality has suddenly rewritten the rulebook. More than 100 employees have exited Dream Sports, the parent of Dream11, after the company reorganised its operations following India’s ban on real money online gaming. The shake up came after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 came into force in August 2025, prohibiting games where users deposit money expecting winnings. The regulation struck at the heart of the fantasy gaming industry and dramatically affected Dream Sports’ core business, wiping out about 95 percent of its revenue and all of its profits.
In response, the Mumbai based company shifted into what chief executive officer Harsh Jain described as “startup mode”, splitting its operations into eight independent business units in December.
Around 700 employees were reassigned across these newly formed ventures based on their experience and interests. However, roughly 15 percent opted to leave the company.
A spokesperson for Dream Sports said many of those who exited were experienced professionals accustomed to running scaled businesses rather than early stage ventures.
“Since some of these employees were experienced with running high scale businesses and not startups, around 15 percent chose to leave and join other scaled companies or start ventures of their own,” the spokesperson said.
Despite the departures, the company noted that the attrition rate is only slightly higher than its earlier level of around 10 percent before the ban. Dream Sports now has close to 950 employees and is not currently hiring, choosing instead to focus on stabilising its existing workforce.
The restructuring has transformed Dream Sports from a fantasy gaming company into a broader sports entertainment platform. The eight units now operate independently, each focusing on different segments of the sports and technology ecosystem.
These include Dream11, sports streaming platform Fancode, sports travel service DreamSetGo, mobile game Dream Cricket and artificial intelligence initiative Dream Sports AI, which includes sports analytics platform Dream Play.
Other ventures include fintech product Dream Money, open source initiative Dream Horizon and the philanthropic arm Dream Sports Foundation.
As part of cost saving efforts, Dream Sports also relocated its headquarters from Bandra Kurla Complex to Worli earlier this year. The new office, called Dream Sports Stadium, brings teams from its various brands together under one roof to improve collaboration and operational efficiency.
Jain had earlier said the company removed bonus lock in timelines for employees hired in recent years, allowing those who wished to leave to exit with pro rata payouts.
“We want people who are fully into the startup mode and willing to work for it, and we will share that reward if it comes,” he said.
Founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth, Dream Sports was last valued at 8 billion dollars after raising 840 million dollars in 2021 from investors including Falcon Edge Capital, DST Global, D1 Capital Partners, RedBird Capital Partners, Tiger Global Management, TPG and Footpath Ventures.
The new gaming law has forced several companies in the fantasy gaming sector to either shut down or pivot their business models, signalling a significant reset for one of India’s fastest growing digital entertainment industries.
