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MSG Networks documentary is exactly what the NBA 2k League needs

By Derek Helling

LONG ISLAND CITY, NY - MAY 02: G O O F Y 7 5 7 and Idrisdagoat6 of Knicks Gaming pose for a photo behind the scenes during the NBA 2K League Tip Off Tournament on May 2, 2018 at Brooklyn Studios in Long Island City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY - MAY 02: G O O F Y 7 5 7 and Idrisdagoat6 of Knicks Gaming pose for a photo behind the scenes during the NBA 2K League Tip Off Tournament on May 2, 2018 at Brooklyn Studios in Long Island City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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As the NBA 2k League struggles to build a robust audience, an intervention by one of the league’s stakeholders could help turn that around.

Building a new esports league is difficult, but when the game the league is built around is not of a genre that lends itself well to spectators getting engaged, that difficulty is expounded. That’s the challenge the young NBA 2k League is taking on right now, and help has come from an outside party with a vested interest, the MSG Networks.

The Madison Square Garden Company owns one of the league’s 17 franchises, Knicks Gaming. It also owns MSG Networks. The latter entity has been enlisted to aid the former in a new documentary series which will follow the progression of Knicks Gaming throughout the inaugural season. With profiles on all six members of the team and the team’s creative consultant and head scout Jerry Ferrera, the show will bring fans up close and personal with Knicks Gaming.

That’s an element that has been sorely missing from the NBA 2k League’s broadcasts of “The Tipoff” tournament on Twitch so far. A big part of why Twitch has become so popular is because not only does it allow fans to consume the content they want on demand, but it allows viewers of streams to feel connected to the streamers by hearing their commentary and reaction to game play. The most popular Twitch feeds also feature gamers interacting with viewers in chats. The NBA 2k League broadcasts present commentary and play-by-play more associated with traditional sports to fill the audio space, missing out on what makes Twitch popular and unique.

The Knicks Gaming show aims to fill some of that void by providing fans that connection with the members of the team, albeit in a medium that many esports fans may not be most likely to consume the content in. To watch the show, which will air Tuesday nights on MSG Networks at 10:00 p.m. ET, fans will need access to a cable/satellite provider that carries the channel.

It’s possible that the show is a “punt” of an attempt to engage hardcore esports fans and more of an attempt to spark the interest of the average sports fan. If that’s the case, then cable/satellite television is an appropriate medium. Perhaps it’s more of an “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” attempt.

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MSG Networks’ reputation for quality content is proven, so this will be a strong attempt by the MSG Company to market its newest entertainment brand. How successful that attempt will be is currently just as up in the air as how successful the NBA 2k League will be.