The Big Interview – NBA Europe
With the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks facing off in London, Benjamin Morel, Senior Vice President, NBA Europe, discusses the next step forward for the NBA in the UK.
The new TV deal with Sky, who join ESPN, means multiple broadcasters are now screening the NBA in the UK. Not many would have expected that a few years ago.
Well, it was always our objective to be in that position. We’re very happy with where we are, and we’re very happy to be bringing another regular season game to London with this game between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks. We’re extremely glad to have announced Sky and very glad that the game is being presented by our global partner adidas, alongside ten other partners, live on Sky Sports. It’s very interesting that they’re launching their season-long programming on the day of the game with very heavy promotion behind it. They’ll be broadcasting both 2D and 3D which is the first time we’ve done that here in the UK, so we’re very excited.
The games in London have been hugely successful – is that down to the overall strength of the sport right now?
Definitely. There’s a great interest in the game. For this particular game we sold out in four days, which is a record for us, and obviously shows the momentum behind the sport and the interest from our fans in London and across the UK.
You do face challenges – a limited number of games in this market for one. Would you want more here?
We have global popularity with a lot of interest around the world and we’re very careful where we select. They take a lot of attention and a lot of time to develop. To be able to select London as the destination for regular season games in Europe shows how important the UK market is to us. Our overall objective is to grow the game globally and the UK is an important part of that development plan internationally.
You also face the age-old problem of time difference – is that more a problem for broadcasters than for you?
It’s nothing new – it’s what we have. We basically have to engage and increase our fanbase through all mediums possible, whether it’s live games on television, highlights packages, consumer products, our events such as London Live or grassroots programmes, or even through our merchandise and video games. They are all assets that we have, along with our mobile apps and digital offering, not to mention NBA.com. So there are a variety of ways you can now engage with us on a 24-hour basis. We’re engaging with people around the clock, that’s for sure.
What are the goals for this market?
We’ve got a long-term commitment to grow the game in the UK. We’re going to continue to do that by bringing the NBA closer to our fans, with strong television presence as we have with both Sky Sports and ESPN, and by continuing to host live events and also grow participation in the game. We’re doing more and more grassroots events, coaching clinics and youth development programmes. Around NBA London Live we will be training around 200 coaches with basketball organisations. Hundreds of children will be participating as well. It’s all about growing the game.
To that end, what effect have you seen from the top-class basketball competition staged here during London 2012?
I’m sure that the excitement behind the basketball tournament at the Olympics is one of the many reasons why we’ve been so successful with NBA London Live. I believe 11 teams out of 12 featured NBA teams on their roster in the Olympic basketball tournament, so it’s not just about the US winning gold. It’s also about the good performance from Spain, from France, from Argentina – all featuring NBA players – and I would include Great Britain in that.
