NBA, YouTube TV announce first-ever partnership for 2018 Finals

AJ Neuharth-Keusch | USA TODAY

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With the demand for new ways to watch television growing rapidly, the NBA is partnering with one of the best in the game.

Starting this year, YouTube TV — the streaming service that launched last April — will be the first-ever presenting partner of the NBA Finals, as well as the Finals for the WNBA and the G League, it was announced Monday.

With the multiyear partnership, the joint logo — "The Finals presented by YouTube TV” — will be featured during all Finals games, including on the court, and YouTube TV will have a "major presence" across the NBA’s digital and social media platforms.

The NBA Finals, which tips off May 31 and will feature two yet-to-be determined teams, will be broadcast live on ABC for the 16th consecutive year. The Finals can also be seen on YouTube TV, which is available in most of the country's top markets and covers more than 85% of U.S. households, according to a news release sent out by the NBA.

Last year's series between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers was the most-watched Finals since 1998.

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“We’re a league that always wants to look for new and different ways to innovate the fan experience when people are viewing these games, and YouTube TV is an innovate platform," Dan Rossomondo, NBA senior vice president of global media and business development, told USA TODAY Sports. "They’ve been an innovator with us since 2005 and we’ve had a long partnership together. This is just a natural extension of that.”

The NBA in 2005 became the first official professional sports league to partner with YouTube and launch its own channel, and they've generated more than 4.6 billion views on YouTube since, according to the release.

“(The) NBA has one of the strongest fanbases," said Angela Courtin, global head of YouTube TV and originals marketing. "They’ve always been an innovative brand. They were the first league to partner with us at YouTube. They clearly see the value in our audience. When (we) sat down to think about what this could be, it was beyond just the Finals.

" ... For us, it was really looking at our users and understanding that sports is a key pillar for them, and how do we partner with the best brands in the business — NBA being one of them, if not the best?”

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