BBL IN PURSUIT OF TV DEAL
The British Basketball League will enter the new season without a TV deal, it has been confirmed.
Last term, the BBL – and sister league, the WBBL – were extensively screened across multiple outlets including the BBC, Freesports and the Unilad Facebook pages.
Every BBL game will continue to be broadcast via streaming platform, livebasketball.tv, under a long-term rights agreement with Perform Media.
However despite talks with a number of broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4, Freesports and newcomers Eleven Sports, it looks certain no agreement will be in place by next week’s tip-off, BBL commercial supremo Bob Hope confirmed.
“Dialogue is still ongoing and there are various options out there but there’s been no decisions taken yet,†he said.
“We won’t be on at the start of the season and the big problem, of course, is money. Broadcasters won’t pay production costs so the league has to find it.
“And while there are millions of pounds going into showing the Premier League, a lot of sports like us have to fight to get on.â€
It has been confirmed a TV agreement has been struck with online platform Fanseat to screen Leicester Riders’ European games.
Next month’s All Stars Championships in London, organisers confirmed, will be shown on Sky Sports as it was 12 months ago.
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