BBC secures package of live NBA fixtures for 2022/23 season

UK public broadcaster the BBC has secured a ground-breaking deal with US basketball franchise the NBA. Under the terms of the new partnership, the BBC will air nine games from the 2022/23 season across BBC3 and BBC iPlayer.

The deal starts immediately, with the BBC broadcasting the NBA’s international game from Paris today (January 19). After this, the broadcaster will show a spread of live games including four regular season games, two playoff matches, one from the conference finals and one NBA finals series game. The overall rights package also includes a suite of NBA highlights and an end of season review programme.

The NBA already has a comprehensive deal in the UK with pay TV platform Sky Sports, which was reported on by DTVE in September 2022. But the BBC deal is the latest example of sports leagues seeking to creating shop windows on free TV that can drive fan engagement and funnel audiences towards paid-for platforms. Other recent initiatives by the NBA to drive international interest include a partnership with YouTube Shorts in Canada, which also opens up the possibility of ad revenues.

It’s been a good week for the BBC on the sports rights front, with news that it will also continue to air coverage of the Olympic Games until at least 2032.