ESPN bags FIBA broadcasting rights in Australia

ESPN has signed an exclusive partnership with FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, as its new broadcast partner in Australia for the next four years, to broadcast international FIBA events.

ESPN will broadcast a number of basketball competitions in Australia, thus becoming the home of international basketball in Australia.

The FIBA competitions ESPN will be broadcasting include:

• FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 – September 22 to October 1 in Sydney
• Australian Opals games – September 22 in France
• FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023
• FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers
• FIBA’s Continental Cups

Commenting on the partnership, Haydn Arndt, ESPN General Manager, said: 

“Basketball has seen terrific growth over the last few years, thanks to the Boomers and Opals recent success and the NBL achieving record crowds and viewership this season.

“Having the Opals feature in a home World Cup is really exciting and we can’t wait to deliver our viewers a tournament to remember, showcasing the best female basketball talent from around the world.”

Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company in Australia & New Zealand and Head of ESPN/National Geographic, APAC added:

“We’re thrilled to be adding the Australian Opals and Boomers games to our comprehensive basketball line-up, which already includes the NBA, NBL, WNBA and NCAA.

“This broadcast partnership with FIBA further extends ESPN’s leading position as ‘The Home for Hoops’. It comes at an exciting time for local basketball fans, with the Boomers fresh from taking their first medal at the Tokyo Olympics and our iconic Australian Opals readying to compete in the Women’s World Cup on home soil in September. It’s terrific to see these incredible female athletes front and centre for our ESPN viewers.”

Frank Leenders, FIBA Media and Marketing Services Director-General, also stated:

“This is excellent news for sports fans in Australia. With Women in Basketball being a strategic priority for FIBA, and specifically, the goal of increasing the number of fans consuming women’s basketball, this partnership with ESPN brings with it new synergies that will make basketball more accessible and enjoyable for Australian fans leading up to our flagship women’s event in Sydney this September.”