The Highlight Mixer tool -- available at the NBA site or myvideo.nba.com -- marks the first time the NBA has allowed fans to build customized applications on the site, said Steve Grimes, vice president of interactive services at NBA Entertainment. Users can access NBA game clips, team logos and music to create their own videos, which can then be posted on the NBA site or a user's own site.
The collection of video clips, which will be updated each week, will be searchable and indexed by teams, dunks, jumpers, buzzer beaters, still photos and other options.
Highlight Mixer uses video editing and remixing tools from Eyespot Corp. to allow fans to "sit in the editor's chair" even if they don't have any video-editing skills, Grimes said.
"There is a pent-up demand to be able to create your own highlight reels," he said. "Every fan has their own perspective, and this is the chance to share that with other fans and the rest of the world."
However, video editing can be hard for inexperienced users, and the NBA didn't want the task to be difficult, Grimes said. Users do not have to download any editing software or other applications. Instead, a Web interface from the site allows them to "mash" together the content and special effects to build the videos. Fans can create a new video in less than five minutes, he said.
For now, the NBA is limiting use of the tool to its own video, Grimes added. That means users won't be allowed to sprinkle in their own videos. "We're trying to balance the desire to give our fans as much opportunity to engage with the league as we can, while at the same time recognizing we have a brand -- and a brand that we have to protect," Grimes said.
The NBA is the latest organization to put in new tools to allow users to build their own applications by aggregating Web content. Earlier this month, Yahoo Inc. had to take down a Web site for building mashups called Pipes on the same day it was launched because demand exceeded capacity.