This was published 8 years ago
NBL, Fox Sports strike TV deal that includes creation of Brisbane team
By Roy Ward
The NBL believes it will regain many lost fans after signing a new broadcast deal with Fox Sports to show every game live next season.
The NBL and Fox Sports announced the five-year deal on Thursday, which will see the pay-television service show all games live this season, then review its coverage before the remaining four years.
Winning play: NBA players will get far greater exposure.Credit: Getty Images
The review will consider whether the NBL has met Fox Sports' expectations in club and player support, and whether the NBL can re-establish a team in Brisbane for next season, which it has promised to do.
"They made it clear from the start that there needed to be a team in Brisbane and we've already said there will be a Brisbane team next season," NBL general manager Jeremy Loeliger said.
The NBL is also in talks with multiple companies considering becoming the league's naming rights sponsor, with league bosses confident they will lock in a deal in the near future.
Fox Sports also has the digital rights for NBL games and will stream them to subscribers via its digital platforms, but the league has retained the right to have a third party create a subscription streaming product for people without pay-television.
While the NBL and Fox Sports did not release the deal's financial terms, it is a major win for new executive director Larry Kestelman, who took charge of the league earlier this year.
Loeliger said Fox Sports had always wanted to show all games live, but both parties had to work hard to find a way to share the costs.
"It's all about exposure and credibility," Loeliger said. "Our research suggested we have a huge supporter base out there who support the NBL and basketball but were not engaged, as our product wasn't very accessible.
"The most obvious way to [change] that is to put it on the big screen, and having every game live on a platform as high-quality as Fox Sports will be a huge boon for us.
"We had to find a way to make the numbers work, and while that may mean we have a little less cream to spread around the NBL, having all games live was better for everyone."
Fox Sports will show live games each night from Wednesday to Saturday and on Sunday afternoons across the condensed 19-week NBL season, which starts on October 7.
The NBL has also retained the right to have one live game simulcast each week on free-to-air television, with the league in talks with networks.
The Fox Sports deal caps off a big two months for the league, which has rebuilt its website and signed new commercial deals with website provider Fox Sports Pulse, Chemist Warehouse, uniform provider ISC, Wilson basketballs, McDavid compression wear and Shock Doctor mouth guards.
Players' union representative Jacob Holmes praised NBL management for a deal that could lead to many more commercial opportunities for players and clubs.
"Our NBL members are ecstatic they will get to play live in front of a national audience," Holmes said. "It's a big turnaround, but the players always had confidence in the product once we had the right people selling it."
Holmes hopes the league can now reward local players who "stuck it out" through several uncertain years.
"We've had our Boomers players have success overseas, and now that is flowing back to our shores," Holmes said.
"You have to give the Boomers credit, the NBL credit and credit the players who stuck it out through some difficult times and some turmoil – they kept playing hard and producing a great product."
Potential Rio Olympians Nathan Jawai, Chris Goulding, Adam Gibson, Cameron Gliddon, Damian Martin and Todd Blanchfield are all on NBL rosters this season, adding to the importance of the competition.
Holmes noted NBL players would have more chances to play for Australia when world body FIBA moves to an expanded Basketball World Cup qualifying system in November 2017, with the Boomers playing every three months.
"Having that number of Boomers in our league this season is huge," Holmes said. "Our players are very excited about the new FIBA schedule and there will be more chances for them to play for their country.
"These things are all coming together and will help us push together for a bigger slice of the viewership and more commercial dollars."