Euroleague Basketball to be Shown In-Flight after SPORT 24 Broadcast Deal

Euroleague Basketball has signed an innovative collaboration agreement with IMG to show the Turkish Airlines Euroleague on SPORT 24, the first live global premium 24-hour sports channel for airline passengers.

With Turkish Airlines Euroleague games already available on television in nearly 200 countries and territories around the globe, SPORT 24 will take the competition’s high-flying action to another level of accessibility, letting fans enjoy Euroleague games in the air, too.

Sport 24 is the in-flight channel exclusively produced and distributed by IMG Media, part of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company.

The Turkish Airlines Euroleague will be the first basketball competition to be included in the SPORT 24 guide, which already broadcasts some of the most prestigious competitions around the world, including top-class football (The Barclays Premier League and Bundesliga), golf (The Masters, The Open Championship and the Ryder Cup), tennis (Wimbledon and the Australian Open) and motor sport (Formula 1).

Starting on Thursday, February 14 with Week 7 action in the Top 16,  passengers on Turkish Airlines and other select airlines will be able to watch three Euroleague games per week, including the playoffs phase, between April 9 and 25, and the signature event of the competition, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four, to be broadcast May 10 to 12 from London, England.

“We are really proud of this new and innovative agreement as we add a new and very valuable platform to our television coverage and give an interesting way for our fans to watch the Turkish Airlines Euroleague games,” Euroleague Basketball President and CEO Mr. Jordi Bertomeu said. “Moreover we are very satisfied with the fact that our title sponsor, Turkish Airlines, will be able to offer all its passengers the opportunity to enjoy Turkish Airlines Euroleague games during their flights, which makes for the perfect combination.”

“Being the fastest growing and one of the most innovative airlines of the World, we are more than happy to provide a new service to our customers, especially those who enjoy sport at the maximum level. The Turkish Airlines Euroleague matches will be broadcast live during our long-haul flights, in a breakthrough initiative to be offered by our on-board PLANET service. This unique opportunity is accomplished thanks to the outstanding partnership with Euroleague Basketball, and will reinforce our leadership in the aviation industry, continuing the trend after being named Europe’s Best Airline in 2011 and 2012, and reaching more countries and destinations than any other airline in the World.” states Mr. Temel Kotil, Turkish Airlines CEO.

Richard Wise, Senior Vice President, IMG Media, said: “Sport 24 is revolutionizing the way passengers watch live sports on Airlines. For the first time ever viewers will be able to enjoy live coverage of their favourite sports events, including Euroleague Basketball, whilst travelling on business or holidaying abroad. Sport fans will no longer have to miss their favourite team, or event on this new dedicated sports channel.”