The Hungry Jack’s National Basketball League (NBL) has struck a history-making media partnership that will elevate the competition to new levels and deliver fans with unprecedented access and coverage.
ESPN and Kayo
A new, groundbreaking three-year deal with ESPN will see every game of the Hungry Jack’s NBL season and finals broadcast live on ESPN and reaffirms the NBL as one of the most popular, fastest-growing and exciting sports competitions in the country.
Complementing the ESPN deal are agreements with Foxtel Group, and News Corp Australia, that will significantly amplify the reach of the league to attract new audiences, and provide more content, game analysis, engagement and general coverage. Foxtel chief Patrick Delany said broadcast ratings for the NBL, with the new season likely to begin in October, had grown by 72 per cent over the past six seasons.
In an NBL-first, commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said the new deal will ensure the league can deliver financial distributions to its 10 clubs. The expired contract had been an advertising profit-share deal between the networks and league, rather than purely lucrative rights.
A key issue for the league has been the annual financial losses most, if not all, of the franchises incur. The nine teams combined this season – excluding the Tasmania JackJumpers who will debut next season – lost an estimated $20 million. It’s hoped the new deal will help alleviate this.
The league is also pursuing a free-to-air partner, with Ten and SBS Viceland in the running, but this was not announced on Tuesday. SBS Viceland had shown weekend games.
Channel Ten
The NBL and Network 10 are pleased to announce a three-year partnership that will see the league return to 10’s free-to-air platforms.
The Network 10 deal completes the NBL’s historic media deal with ESPN, Foxtel, Kayo Sports and News Corp Australia announced last month.
Two games per week will be broadcast live on 10 Peach every Sunday in the 1pm-5pm timeslot, with those same games to also be broadcast live in HD on Network 10’s on demand service, 10 Play.
Regional NBL fans are also set to benefit from the deal, with the NBL to be shown in regional locations via Network 10’s affiliation with Southern Cross Austereo and WIN.
Key Points from the NBL Broadcast Deals
- Biggest media deal in NBL history at $15m per year. (excludes whatever Ten paid, if anything)
- New 3-year deal with ESPN, available on ESPN platforms in Australia
- All 140 Hungry Jack’s NBL regular-season games, plus finals. ESPN will air all but two games each round exclusively, and also have all key matches throughout the NBL Finals series exclusively.
- True media partnership with ESPN, Foxtel and News Corp Australia agreements
- All games shown on Foxtel and Kayo to more than 2.4 million sports subscribers
- 2 games per week on Kayo Freebies
- 10 Coles Express NBL1 games of the week from 2022 and national championship games available on Kayo Freebies
- Sky New Zealand continue to broadcast all NBL games on Sky Sports NZ
- Three-year partnership that will see the league return to 10’s free-to-air platforms.
- Two games per week will be broadcast live on 10 Peach every Sunday in the 1pm-5pm timeslot
- 10 Peach games to also be broadcast live in HD on Network 10’s on demand service, 10 Play
- NBL to be shown in regional locations via Network 10’s affiliation with Southern Cross Austereo and WIN
Sources
- NBL Achieves History-Making Media Deal (NBL.com.au)
- ESPN and NBL sign landmark new broadcast deal (espn.com.au)
- News Corp and Foxtel team up to provide blockbuster NBL broadcast deal
- ‘A watershed moment’: NBL confirms record broadcast rights deal
- Network 10 Becomes NBL Free-to-Air Partner(NBL.com.au)
