• by Colin Kirkland , Today

In direct competition with X, Bluesky is testing a new real-time sports feature with live NBA content.

Just in time for the NBA playoffs, select Bluesky users will be able to click on the NBA’s profile picture to see whatever live content the league is promoting. 

When there’s a red border with a ‘live’ callout below the NBA’s Bluesky account photo, users will be directed to the referenced live event, whether it is within the decentralized messaging app, or not. 

“We aren’t trapping you in Bluesky,” a spokesperson wrote on the platform, attempting to showcase the app as an unbiased discovery tool. 

This designation sets Bluesky’s sports initiative apart from X and other mainstream social-media platforms, which tout exclusive content deals with various professional and amateur sports leagues, such as X’s WWE and Big 3 coverage, or TikTok’s ongoing partnership with the MLS.

What differentiates Bluesky’s approach in comparison to X is that it does not rely on advertising partners. The platform is currently supported by venture capital firms and is not concerned about its users leaving the app to continue their online content-viewing experience -- an approach that is intrinsic to Bluesky’s overall ethos of decentralization.

However, to continue increasing its user base and the platform’s general appeal as a leading microblogging space, Bluesky’s relationship to live events, breaking news and cultural moments is of key importance.

 The company will begin testing the same functionality for WNBA games, according to TechCrunch.