NBA to use Microsoft Teams to make basketball fans sit together

SAN FRANCISCO: The National Basketball Association (NBA) will use the new Together Mode in the video meet app Microsoft Teams to place basketball fans courtside in a virtual experience during live games.

Starting July 30, the NBA will outfit each game court with 17-foot-tall LED screens that wrap three sides of the arena.

These "stands" will be populated with more than 300 cheering fans who will join the game using Together Mode in Teams.

Alongside a view of their fellow fans, participants can watch a live feed of the game right within Teams, Microsoft said in a statement on Friday.

Earlier this month, Microsoft launched new features in its video conferencing app, including a Together Mode that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to digitally place participants in a shared background, as if they are sitting in the same place with everyone else.

"This new experience, the first to go live as a result of the NBA/Microsoft partnership, gives participating fans the feeling of sitting next to one another at a live game without leaving the comfort and safety of their homes," said Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365. IANS 

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