With the arrival of a French superstar on the horizon, the NBA is growing its media presence in Europe.
The league inked a U.K. broadcast deal with the BBC covering nine games this season, beginning with Thursday’s tilt in Paris between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons — the first regular-season game in France since 2020.
- The BBC will show an additional three regular-season games, two pre-conference final playoff games, one conference title game, and one NBA Finals game.
- Sky bought the rights to 135 live NBA games prior to the season and simultaneously broadcast the Paris game.
- U.K. fans can also access the league’s streaming service, NBA League Pass.
The NBA anticipates substantial growth in its French fanbase with the coming of Victor Wembanyama, the presumptive first overall pick in June’s NBA Draft.
The league said that tickets to the Paris game sold out within minutes of going on sale.
Mega Media Deal Coming
Meanwhile, the league continues negotiations around its next set of media deals.
The NBA, which currently has nine-year deals with ESPN and TNT totalling $24 billion, could look to triple that sum when those pacts expire after the 2024-25 season.
Amazon is thought to be interested in acquiring NBA rights as it grows its live sports portfolio.
