The EuroLeague’s first six basketball games this season will be streamed live to U.S. users for a one-off payment via Facebook after a new media rights deal between the entities.
U.S. players account for 25% of the league, including former NBA players Kenneth Faried, Derrick Williams, and Shane Larkin. The Dallas Mavericks’ Slovenian star Luka Doncic also played in the league.
The news comes a day after shareholders in the league’s clubs voted to dismiss Jordi Bertomeu from his chairman and CEO positions.
The EuroLeague isn’t the first sports organization Facebook has teamed up with.
- The Premier League’s Wolverhampton Wanderers broadcast six of their preseason matches on Facebook’s paywalled platform this year, helping bring in record preseason viewership numbers.
- The Challenge Miami Triathlon brought 18,300 fans to the platform for $2.99 each in March.
- In February, Brazil’s Serie A and Serie B soccer began streaming live on Facebook to overseas fans.
- Major Arena Soccer League partnered with Facebook in January to broadcast games for $7.99 each game or $74.99 per season.
In 2018, Facebook obtained exclusive free-to-air rights for 32 live matches to the Champions League each season in Latin America and every La Liga game between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons in India, but Facebook did not renew the deals in March.
