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Turner Sports will launch an “NBA on TNT Road Show” – themed around the popular Emmy Award-winning Inside the NBA – beginning with 2016-17 NBA Opening Night in Cleveland on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 3 p.m. ET. The “NBA on TNT Road Show,” a series of multifaceted fan friendly attractions aligned with select tent pole events throughout the NBA season, will include live telecasts featuring TNT’s Sports Emmy Award winning Inside the NBA studio team, musical performances, interactive fan experiences, pop-up stores, food trucks and more.
The Opening Night “NBA on TNT Road Show,” a 75,000 square foot interactive space located outside the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Quicken Loans Arena, will be anchored by TNT’s Inside the NBA studio team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal providing pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage from a set location on site. The “Road Show” in Cleveland will also include a musical performance by Grammy-nominated rapper and songwriter Wiz Khalifa highlighting the day’s activities.
TNT will officially tip off the season with a doubleheader showcasing the defending NBA Champion Cavaliers hosting the New York Knicks at 8 p.m., followed by the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs at 10:30 p.m. The night’s coverage will begin with pre-game programming at 6 p.m. including the Cavaliers ring ceremony.
What exactly’s going to be included in this? Well, they’ll have attractions themed around the Inside The NBA cast, including “DJ Diesel Academy,” “Kenny the Jet’s Big Board,” “Chuck’s Donut Truck,” and Johnson-inspired bow ties, plus on-court contests, a lip-sync studio, NBA on TNT merchandise, massive screens to watch the game broadcast, and even a NBA on TNT-themed food truck:
An NBA on TNT themed food truck will feature some of the Inside foursome’s favorite fare including Shaq’s BBQ Chicken, Ernie’s Cheese Grits, Kenny’s “Queens Dogs” and tater tots with yum-yum sauce. Chuck’s Donut Truck offering “Mini Chucks” donut holes, “Sir Charles Parfaits,” the “Double-Double” Ice Cream Sundae and “Chuck’s Main Squeeze” lemonade will also be on site.
Taking broadcasts on the road has worked very well for ESPN’s College GameDay and some of their SportsCenter specials, and it looks like Turner’s doing something perhaps even more unique here, combining a road broadcast with a whole lot of attractions and entertainment themed around their personalities. If there’s a show that could work for, Inside The NBA would seem to be it; the show’s incredibly popular, as are its personalities. We’ll see how this is received, but there’s certainly some potential here for an interesting new broadcasting idea.
