BT Sport Inks Major NBA UK Broadcast Deal

BT Sport has made another splash in the media rights market by securing exclusive broadcast rights to National Basketball Association (NBA) games in the UK.

The multiyear agreement between BT Sport and the world’s premier men’s professional basketball league tips off on Sunday, December 1, as the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers featuring Paul George and Roy Hibbert, take on West Coast rivals the LA Clippers featuring Chris Paul and Blake Griffin at 8.30pm UK time on BT Sport 2.

Coverage will include weekly games on Sundays in primetime. Fans will also be able to access selected games streamed live and for free on the BT Sport website and BT Sport App.

The new agreement will see up to 200 games throughout the season, appearing across BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and ESPN. There will be up to seven live games per week throughout the regular season and the first and second rounds of the Playoffs, as well as every game of the Conference Finals, culminating in the NBA Finals in June. The rights also include NBA’s All-Star weekend.

Last year Sky Sports and ESPN held the rights to the games. This will be seen as another blow for Sky after they lost out on the Champions League & Europa League rights. 

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “BT Sport will be the new home of the NBA in the UK and Ireland. The NBA is simply the best basketball in the world; it is fast moving, high scoring and includes some the world’s most recognisable global sporting icons. Existing NBA fans will love our coverage, and we look forward to converting many more.”

Dan Markham, NBA vice president, Media Distribution & Emerging Markets, said: “This is a very exciting step for the NBA in the UK. With BT Sports’ first rate presentation and formidable portfolio of premium sports content, fans can now look forward to more NBA action than ever before in the UK and Ireland, including selected free streamed games. Through their innovative multi-platform offering of live NBA games, highlights, magazine shows and unique behind-the-scenes programming, BT Sport is the ideal partner to serve as the official broadcaster of the NBA.”

Also included in the partnership will be several magazine shows: NBA Action, NBA Inside Stuff, NBA Tonight and NBA Countdown.

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