• by Colin Kirkland , February 28, 2024

In an effort to bulk up its “video-first” strategy, X has signed an exclusive content deal with The Big 3, the three-on-three basketball league for retired NBA players.

With the partnership, X will broadcast live games while providing “groundbreaking access and exclusive content” starting in June.

X first announced its plan to prioritize video on the app last month, citing internal data showing that posts including video drive 10x the engagement among users, with 80% of user sessions currently including video consumption.

The app previously known as Twitter has since been building out its video offerings via a plethora of new exclusive content deals for in-app mini shows hosted by right-wing talk-show host Tucker Carlson, as well as Don Lemon, whose new “Don Lemon Show” is preparing to air soon; Tulsi Gabbard, who is planning a series of political documentary-style offerings; and Jim Rome, who will soon launch a new version of “The Jungle,” which is slated to run five times per week.

Earlier this month, X also signed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which will feature a weekly video series showcasing “fast-paced, action-packed faceoffs” directly on the app.

As part of the new arrangement with The Big 3, X is attempting to harness the attention of its widespread live sports user community and become the online hub for Big 3 basketball, which currently streams on CBS and Paramount Plus.

Despite being one of the more niche sports leagues, Big 3 broadcasts have become more popular over the past few years and were watched more regularly than Premier League Soccer, WNBA and Premier Lacrosse League games in the US in 2023, according to data from The Source.

The Big 3 has also gained notoriety and social media attention since its founding in 2017 by rapper Ice Cube. Last month, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honored the league and Cube for extraordinary contributions to basketball. Soon after, the league was mentioned on X and Instagram by rapper 50 Cent, who said he wanted to bring a Big 3 team to Louisiana. The post received over 101,000 likes and 1,000 comments in less than an hour.