• Two NBL games of every round available as Kayo Freebies
Foxtel has announced a new three-year agreement with the National Basketball League and ESPN that will see every game of the NBL season and finals live on ESPN broadcast on Foxtel and streamed on Kayo.
The new deal comes as the Australian basketball team the Boomers competes in the Tokyo Olympics. And just yesterday the NBL champions Perth Wildcats signed a new associate head coach under the new ownership of Craig Hutchinson’s SEN Group.
Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany
Patrick Delany, Foxtel Group chief executive officer said Australian sports fans want to follow and watch the best in sport and there is no doubt audience interest in the NBL is at a tipping point.
“We have a long and rich history with the NBL and over the years we have seen the players, coaches, clubs and national participation in the sport go from strength to strength. Our partnership with ESPN allows us to use the growing scale of our Foxtel and Kayo sports platform to significantly build audience engagement.
“With 2.4 million households now watching sport on Foxtel and streaming Kayo, the Foxtel Group provides the largest audience of sports fans in the country. As the key broadcast partner of ESPN in Australia, we are pleased to be bringing all games of the world-class NBL competition to fans live and on demand this season.
“To take reach of the NBL even further, we will be streaming two games from every round free as Kayo Freebies. With almost 90% of Australian households with internet access, this will unlock even more opportunities to grow basketball’s reach in Australia.”
Every game of the new NBL season will be available on Foxtel and streamed on Kayo from October 2021.
TV audiences of NBL grew 72% over the last six seasons between 2014 and 2020 marking significant growth of fans in the sport.
NBL owner Larry Kestelman
NBL owner Larry Kestelman said Foxtel Group’s coverage on Foxtel as well as Kayo Sports completes the best broadcast deal in the history of the NBL.
“I want to thank ESPN and Foxtel Group for their continued support, and for having the belief and confidence in us as a competition and organisation.
“With more than 1.1 million people playing basketball nationally each year, our sport is exploding in popularity and we cannot wait to work together to attract and entertain a legion of new members, fans and supporters, and show them what our league has to offer.
“This media deal is a game-changer in every sense and shows we are a league that continues to rise in stature, reputation and popularity. Our fans are at the heart of everything we do and there is something for everyone in this exciting new deal and it serves as a huge vote of confidence in our clubs, players and the path we’re on together.”
Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior VP & MD, The Walt Disney Company Australia & New Zealand
ESPN will air all but two games each round exclusively, and also have all key matches throughout the NBL Finals series exclusively.
Kylie Watson-Wheeler, senior vice president & managing director, The Walt Disney Company Australia & New Zealand and head of ESPN/National Geographic, APAC, said the landmark deal represents the network’s desire to share in the growth of the competition and solidify a renewed long-term partnership with the NBL.
“The National Basketball League has become a feature of ESPN programming and we are thrilled to extend the partnership with an expanded rights package for a further three seasons,” Watson-Wheeler said.
See also: (From 2019) NBL reveals new media deal with many games available for free