NBA & Bt Sport Expand Broadcast Deal
The National Basketball Association has announced a multi-year broadcast deal with UK broadcaster BT Sport, renewed ahead of a fifth regular season NBA game in London, which saw the New York Knicks continue a dismal run of form at the O2 Arena.
The Milwaukee Bucks won 95-79 in front of another sell out crowd, with the 19,000-capacity venue sold out within an hour of tickets going on sale.
The game was shown on BT Sport 1 and became the first-ever NBA match to be produced using ultra high-definition 4K technology.
As part of the renewed agreement, which takes effect at the start of the 2015/16 season, BT Sport will broadcast up to seven live regular season games per week in the UK and Ireland.
The pay-TV broadcaster will also show the first and second rounds of the playoffs, as well as every game in the conference and NBA finals.
Meanwhile, special events such as the NBA All-Star Game will also be aired on TV, while highlights and a weekly free game will be made available on BT’s website and app.
Television coverage will be spread across BT’s sports channels, including BT Sport 1, BT Sport 2 and ESPN.
Simon Green, the head of BT Sport, said: “I’m delighted that BT Sport will continue as the home of the NBA in the UK and Ireland.
“The NBA is simply the best basketball in the world and this year we will broadcast even more live and exclusive NBA games than ever before.”
Elsa Memmi, NBA vice president, global media distribution, EMEA, added: “Through the extension of our partnership with BT Sport, fans can continue to enjoy a wealth of NBA content and programming in the UK and Ireland.
“BT Sport has proven to be the ideal partner to serve as an official TV destination of the NBA in the UK and Ireland and we look forward to collaborating further to provide fans with live NBA games, highlights, magazine shows, unique behind-the-scenes programming and more.”
The Knicks have now lost a franchise-record 16 straight games and their record of five wins and 36 defeats in 41 games so far this season is also the worst of any NBA team.
