NBL Achieves History-Making Media Deal

The Hungry Jack’s National Basketball League (NBL) has struck a history-making media partnership that will elevate the competition to new levels and deliver fans with unprecedented access and coverage.

A new, groundbreaking three-year deal with ESPN will see every game of the Hungry Jack’s NBL season and finals broadcast live on ESPN and reaffirms the NBL as one of the most popular, fastest-growing and exciting sports competitions in the country.

Complementing the ESPN deal are agreements with Foxtel Group, and News Corp Australia, that will significantly amplify the reach of the league to attract new audiences, and provide more content, game analysis, engagement and general coverage.

Hungry Jack’s NBL Owner and Executive Chairman, Larry Kestelman, said the significance of the deal cannot be underestimated.

“This is the biggest deal in the history of the NBL. It is a big win for basketball fans and will result in a huge uplift in the coverage and exposure of our competition across a variety of major media networks and digital platforms,” he said.

“This is a proud and exciting day for the NBL which will now be able to leverage the power of Disney and ESPN, the Foxtel Group, as well as News Corp Australia, to gain an even bigger following and grow our game like never before.

“On behalf of the clubs, we sought, identified and secured true media partners who we felt would really invest in the league and align with our ambition to take the coverage of our game, in Australia and New Zealand, to the next level.

“We are thrilled to be again joining forces with ESPN – the home of basketball in Australia. ESPN’s commitment to our competition, its clubs and players has been incredible over the past two years and we are delighted to be enhancing our fantastic relationship for at least another three years.”

Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company Australia & New Zealand & Head of ESPN/National Geographic, APAC, said the landmark deal represents the network’s desire to share in the growth of the competition and solidify a renewed long-term partnership with the NBL.

“The National Basketball League has become a feature of ESPN programming and we are thrilled to extend the partnership, with an expanded rights package for a further three seasons," she said.

“Our audience’s appetite for the National Basketball League continues to grow with every season, and this new agreement delivers on that demand from our audience. The 2021-22 NBL season is set to be one of the most exciting on record, and basketball fans can now witness every game LIVE on ESPN.

“The agreement also ensures that ESPN remains the undisputed home for basketball fans in Australia, and the only place to see every game of the NBL.”

Kestelman said the addition of Foxtel’s coverage through Kayo Sports completes the best broadcast deal in the history of the NBL.

“I want to thank ESPN and Foxtel Group for their continued support, and for having the belief and confidence in us as a competition and organisation,” he said.

“With more than 1.1 million people playing basketball nationally each year, our sport is exploding in popularity and we cannot wait to work together to attract and entertain a legion of new members, fans and supporters, and show them what our league has to offer.

“This media deal is a game-changer in every sense and shows we are a league that continues to rise in stature, reputation and popularity. Our fans are at the heart of everything we do and there is something for everyone in this exciting new deal and it serves as a huge vote of confidence in our clubs, players and the path we’re on together.”

Patrick Delany, Foxtel Group Chief Executive Officer said Australian sports fans only follow and watch the best in sport and there is no doubt audience interest in the NBL is at a tipping point in history.

“We have a long and rich history with the NBL and over the years have seen the players, coaches, clubs and national participation in the sport go from strength to strength. Our partnership with ESPN allows us to use the fast-growing scale of our Foxtel and Kayo sports platform to take audience engagement to the next level.

“With 2.4 million households now watching sport on Foxtel and streaming Kayo, the Foxtel Group provides the largest audience of sports fans in the country. As a key broadcast partner of ESPN in Australia, we are pleased to be bringing all games of this world-class sport to fans live and on-demand this season.

“With this ground-breaking deal, we are going to extend our reach even further to help grow audiences for the NBL. We will be streaming two games from every round on Kayo Freebies. With almost 90% of Australian households with internet access, this will unlock even more opportunities to grow basketball in Australia.”

Kestelman said the Hungry Jack’s NBL media rights had attracted unprecedented interest from several media organisations, with the league having gained serious momentum and attention nationally and internationally in recent years.

“This is a significant day for the NBL and its clubs, and highlights the undeniable resurgence of our league after five years of consecutive growth.”

Kestelman said the media deal with News Corp Australia would expand the NBL’s reach even further.

“We will be working closely with all our new partners, particularly News Corp Australia, to tell our stories and constantly connect our fans to the players and clubs. We want to keep people informed, and give access to more information and promote our games more widely.”

Michael Miller, CEO and Chairman of News Corp Australasia said: "News Corp is proud to partner with ESPN and Foxtel to amplify the NBL to a large and growing enthusiastic Australian basketball audience.

"Our mastheads will provide fans with coverage, analysis and more access to coaches and players than ever before.

"Not only will we together establish basketball as a major summer sport that no one will want to miss, it will help ensure the league has a new generation of players and fans."

Kestelman said the league’s resurgence showed no signs of slowing down.

“We are a sustainable, viable and profitable competition, and we are growing exponentially with record club memberships, attendances, viewership and engagement across all our channels.

“We’ve seen our league achieve global relevance thanks to the professional standards we’ve set, and the incredible level of play our clubs and players have established and continue to showcase week in, week out.

“Further enhancing our global reach has been the incredible success of our Next Stars program which recently launched the NBA careers of the likes of LaMelo Ball, RJ Hampton, Brazil’s Didi Louzada and home-grown sensation Josh Giddey, who is set to be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

“Our league now has more than 1.6 million avid fans which represents an impressive 25 per cent increase over the past 12 months and it’s all trending upwards.

“We are expanding with the Tasmania JackJumpers joining the competition. We are seeing an increased following of all our clubs and massive participation numbers and interest in grassroots basketball through the Coles Express NBL1 competition. We have reached new levels across all areas of our operation.

“The business model we have built, along with the stability and excitement we have created, has given rise to a genuinely elite competition with global relevance, and an extremely bright and exciting future.”

Kestelman paid special tribute to the league’s biggest stakeholders – the supporters.

“To our growing army of fans who so passionately support our incredible clubs and players, thank you for your dedication and enthusiasm. You really haven’t experienced anything quite like the NBL until you attend one of our games, and that’s all thanks to the atmosphere supporters generate from the stands.

“We have made a commitment to grow the NBL like never before and we have some big things planned. We cannot wait for the next season to begin.”

KEY POINTS, HIGHLIGHTS AND INCLUSIONS:

• Biggest media deal in NBL history
• New 3-year deal with ESPN
• All 140 Hungry Jack’s NBL regular-season games, plus finals,
• available on ESPN platforms in Australia
• True media partnership with ESPN, Foxtel and News Corp Australia agreements
• All games shown on Foxtel and Kayo to more than 2.4 million sports
• subscribers and 2 games per week on Kayo Freebies
• 10 Coles Express NBL1 games of the week from 2022 and national championship games available on Kayo Freebies
• Sky New Zealand continue to broadcast all NBL games on Sky Sports NZ
• An announcement regarding a FTA partner will be made in due course