Microsoft, NBA team up to put virtual fans in basketball arenas

When the National Basketball Association restarts its coronavirus-interrupted season on July 30 in its “bubble” in Orlando, Florida, the stands could have more than 300 fans – none of whom will actually be in the arena.

Microsoft Corp and the NBA said on Friday they have joined forces to put “virtual” fans in the stands of each game using Microsoft’s Teams app and giant screens.

The two will equip each game court with 17-foot-tall (5.2 m) LED screens that wrap three sides of the arena. The virtual stands will be filled with fans who use the Teams app to log in and sit alongside each other using a new feature of the app called “Together mode” meant to simulate a group of people sitting in a room.