The final matches of the Nbaseason will be screened live at selected Imax cinemas in Hong Kong and Taiwan from June 6.
The screenings are the first time that Imax China, the offshoot of Imax Corp., the Canadian giant screen cinema and equipment company, offers a live sports experience. It comes as a result of a first-time deal between Imax China and NBA China.
As of Dec. 31, there were five Imax-branded theaters in Hong Kong, 11 in Taiwan and one in Macau, operated by different exhibition companies.
On Tuesday, the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 133-128 in overtime in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals. The winners of the best-of-seven series will face the Minnesota Timberwolves or the Dallas Mavericks, who meet in the Western Conference Finals.
“This collaboration with the NBA marks a groundbreaking step forward in Imax’s strategy of widening the aperture of our content offering,” said Daniel Manwaring, CEO of Imax China.
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“From the front row of Taylor Swift’s dazzling concert tour to courtside at the world’s most thrilling basketball games, Imax now takes audiences right to the center of the action in more ways than ever before, elevating our role as the premier destination not only for blockbuster movies but for all-encompassing immersive entertainment experiences.
Manwaring says that by expanding the content portfolio beyond feature movies the company can tap into a “vastly broadened market potential.”
Imax China was instrumental in bringing “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” to China in Dec. 2023. The first ever concert film to be shown in Imax across mainland China, Imax venues delivered 45% of the film’s nationwide box office. In mainland China, Imax China also counts 774 active commercial venues and 16 institutional or museum sites.
The Imax Corp. has deals in place with sports leagues and franchises for other live global events. These include North America’s National Hockey League (NHL) for live coverage of signature events including the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 2022 NHL Global Series for broadcast to locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia.
In July, Imax will present NBC Television Network’s live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony across more than 150 screens in the U.S. (It is the first-ever Summer Olympic opening ceremony not held in a stadium, but rather with a four-mile-long flotilla of nearly 100 boats carrying thousands of athletes down the River Seine.)
The NBA Finals are scheduled for June 6, 9, 12 and 14, with possible games 5, 6 and 7 on June 17, 20 and 23, respectively (U.S. Eastern time).
