FIBA - FIBA online and the World Championship (2/2): A virtuous circle

Growing technology, growing fanbase, growing opportunities

To read part one 'Record numbers expected with international basketball more accessible than ever' click here.

GENEVA/ISTANBUL (FIBA World Championship) – The growth of the fiba 'fanbase' is resulting in a virtuous circle where partners and sponsors are increasingly eager to jump onboard - or rather online - which in turn is allowing for investment in constantly improving online services.

The evolution of online services on offer since the last FIBA World Championship in 2006 has been staggering. FIBA has adopted a number of new platforms in an attempt to cater to the needs of every fan, in all regions of the world.

In this respect, new trends and new technologies have helped ensure that record numbers of people are keeping an eye on the world of international basketball. While basketball professionals remain as important as ever to FIBA, it is the ability to engage with fans and basketball enthusiasts that has characterised recent developments here at FIBA.

In embracing social networking and focusing on offering multimedia content FIBA is hoping to keep in touch with a rapidly growing basketball family.

How do you evaluate the success of such a project?

Assessing it is extremely difficult, but the growing interest of partners and sponsors in FIBA’s online activities is one possible measuring stick. While we may be discussing communication channels, platforms, single visit and clicks, others talk about the value of these in terms of assets.

The willingness of partners and sponsors to invest in the FIBA online family can be seen as proof that through the resulting exposure, commercial value is being generated.

Many of FIBA’s online services are now resulting in partnerships. Chinese online giants Tencent QQ have been working with FIBA since 2006 to manage the official Chinese language versions of the FIBA World Championship website and fiba.com, opening up the world of basketball to QQ, while FIBA’s presence is guaranteed on one of the world’s biggest and fastest growing basketball markets.

Swiss watchmaker and FIBA Global Partner Tissot are providing the countdown clock and live statistics on turkey2010.fiba.com.

Telecommunications giant Nokia – also a global partner – has teamed up with FIBA to produce ‘Bball’, a basketball application for Nokia mobile devices that allows users to easily access news videos and live results, while it also includes games and quizzes, in addition to managing the FIBA and World Championship mobile websites.

Gaming company Bwin has developed a free ‘Pick the Score’ World Championship prediction game that will be accessible to visitors of the FIBA World Championship site and will provide World Championship related prizes, while a number of other collaborations are either ongoing or in the making.

Sixteen years after fiba.com was launched, we are entering a new era in which a virtuous circle is gaining momentum; a virtuous circle that must benefit the priority stakeholders of the basketball family: the national federations, the players and of course the fans.

With more people than ever looking to follow this edition of the tournament and with the possibilities greater than ever, this FIBA World Championship may just provide an insight into the future of international basketball.

FIBA

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