By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

THE 2019 edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup begins this weekend in China and it will see enhanced coverage across various platforms, the world governing body of the sport said.

Tipping off on Aug. 31 and gathering 32 of the top basketball nations in the world, the global hoops spectacle is touted to mark a momentous change in the production, coverage, presentation and multi-platform availability of the event and is to feature innovations, provided by FIBA Media, including augmented reality, referee-audio, and a broadcast SuperFeed.

In a release shared to media, FIBA said that during the live coverage fans will be able to listen to the lead referee when reviewing calls, as well as in selected moments during games of the Final Phase.

It went on to say that with 20 cameras during preliminary round games and 25 cameras from the quarterfinals onwards, the live experience will be boosted by exclusive content including interviews, slow-motion sequences, replay angles, and highlight reels, clipped and available within an hour of the game.

A daily wrap-up show featuring the very best plays from each game day will also be available within hours of the last game.

Taking the lead in the massive production is FIBA Media, with the involvement of facilities from CCTV, Tencent, Gearhouse, and Mediapro.

The newly introduced broadcast SuperFeed, meanwhile, is said to greatly enhance viewers’ experience of the World Cup. This additional live content feed available for the tournament’s broadcast partners worldwide will deliver previously not-seen content on a continuous live feed including exclusive pre-game and post-game footage, as well as behind-the-scenes access for every single game.

Additionally, the live feed will be enhanced for the Final games in Beijing, with augmented reality technology to deliver spectacular 3D graphics.

“We are set to experience 92 games of top-level basketball across China in the most anticipated sporting event of the year. This will be the biggest production and distribution operation we have ever done, allowing our partners to use tailor-made and exclusive content. Thanks to these industry-leading innovations fans throughout the world will experience the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 like never before,” said Andreas Zagklis, Secretary-General of FIBA, of the coverage the World Cup will have.

For the event, happening until Sept. 15, FIBA has partnered with over 60 media broadcasters, at least 160 countries will be provided with coverage of the event while FIBA’s Livebasketball.tv platform offers subscription-based coverage.

Fans will also be able to follow all the action on FIBA Basketball World Cup channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels.

In the Philippines, the World Cup can be seen over TV5 and ESPN5.com.

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