French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has renewed its rights agreement with the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).
The new five-year agreement runs until the end of 2021 and grants Canal Plus exclusive rights in France to Fiba’s leading national team competitions.
Events covered by the agreement include World Cups, EuroBaskets and Olympic qualifying tournaments for the 2020 summer Games in Tokyo. Canal Plus will air coverage of France's men’s national team’s qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup and the 2021 EuroBasket.
The agreement also includes action from Fiba’s AfroBasket, AmeriCup and Asia Cup competitions. Coverage of youth tournaments will be shown in the form of the U17 and U19 World Cups. Canal Plus has broadcast leading national team tournaments for more than 20 years.
Patrick Baumann, Fiba secretary general, said: “Thanks to the successful work of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), the popularity and visibility of the sport has soared to new heights and Canal Plus has very much played a part in that. As such we are extremely proud to extend our relationship with a partner that has put basketball at a premium on their channels for more than two decades.”
The agreement was brokered by Fiba Media, the new entity formed through the strategic partnership between Fiba and digital sports media group Perform.