ESPN Announces Extension of NBL Coverage

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The National Basketball League has been boosted by news of a media-rights extension deal with ESPN. The deal will see all NBL games available to stream on Disney+, helping to extend the reach of the sport and make it available to millions of Australian and New Zealand fans.

This move will play a massive part in raising the profile of the game domestically and internationally, and should also help the Australian betting industry, with bettors being able to view all scheduled matches. Online gambling expert Steven Brown explains that in Australia, online casinos and sports betting sites are popular among consumers thanks to their convenience, wide selection of betting markets and payment methods, and enticing deals.

Improved coverage will boost online betting markets, with bettors able to watch the games they are interested in. Live betting markets benefit from televised games, with fans able to enjoy updated odds in real time.

The NBL has already seen its broadcast audiences grow by 106% in the last three seasons, and this new deal should help to increase this further. Last season saw the league welcome more than a million fans to live matches, with 55 sell-outs.

An additional 21 games will also be played this season, thanks to the new deal, with the Ignite Cup being introduced. The in-season tournament will take place on Wednesday nights, and the Blitz pre-season tournament is another event that fans will be able to tune in to watch on Disney+ ESPN.

This means that Australian basketball fans will have a total of 166 games to enjoy, as well as weekly news and highlights. It is hoped that this will open up the sport to a wider audience who might not be able to attend games.

It has also been announced that the NBL has extended its deal with Network 10 for an additional year, providing free-to-air coverage on Sundays on Channel 10 and 10 Drama at 2:30 PM and 4:30 PM, respectively.

This great news regarding coverage is the icing on the cake following a great off-season that has seen team rosters change significantly, including Bryce Cotton switching from the Perth Wildcats to the Adelaide 36ers, Kendric Davis moving from Adelaide to Sydney, and the Cairns Taipans welcoming Jack McVeigh back after his NBA stint.

The season starts back on September 18th with the Tasmania JackJumpers taking on Melbourne United at the Derwent Entertainment Centre. The subsequent Round 1 fixtures will then take place over the following three days, with the New Zealand Breakers facing the Brisbane Bullets on the 19th.

S.E. Melbourne Phoenix face the Cairns Taipans on the 20th in the John Cain Arena, while the Tasmanian JackJumpers travel to Perth to play the Wildcats on the same day. Round 1 will wrap up with Melbourne United taking on the New Zealand Breakers on the 21st. Defending Champions, the Illawarra Hawks, kick off their campaign against the Tasmanian JackJumpers on the 27th at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre.

The season will run until March 2026, with breaks scheduled for Australia and New Zealand to participate in the qualification series for the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup. These breaks are scheduled to run from November 24th to December 2nd, and from February 23rd to March 3rd.