News

NBA India teams up with Uber for ‘Hoop Nation’ branded content campaign

The National Basketball Association has launched a branded content campaign in collaboration with Uber for the Indian market called ‘Hoop Nation’. The series has been produced by CM Studios, a division of Indian content firm Rainshine Entertainment. ‘Hoop Nation’ chronicles unusual tales of basketball players from across India set to soundtracks from local hip-hop acts.

Apart from a brief documentary, each episode also features a standalone music video.

The first episode which premiered on November 18 features a story of wheelchair bound basketball players from Chennai in South India and a Paralympic swimming champion.

The second episode features an all woman basketball team from North Eastern India.

A subsequent edition of the four episode series will focus on a team of basketball players composed of Tibetan refugees, from Dharamshala in North India.

It is available on the digital channels owned by Uber and NBA as well as CM Studios’ channels like Being Indian and Blush. 

Speaking about the collaboration NBA India managing director Rajesh Sethi said: “We are really excited to present a yet another new form of content that brings alive the passion for the game of basketball through Hoop Nation presented by Uber. 

“We are grateful to have Uber collaborate with us to engage with our collective audiences through this one-of-a-kind, four-part lyrical documentary. The game is gaining tremendous momentum in India and we are excited to continue our efforts to expand NBA’s reach to fans through pop-cultural elements.”

The NBA has significantly increased its efforts to crack the Indian market which has traditionally been dominated by cricket. Its operations in China, a strategically significant global market ran into rough weather last month following Houston Rockets’ manager Daryl Morey tweeting in support of the protesters in Hong Kong.  

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella Asia newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing