German telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom has agreed a four-year deal for the media rights to the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the top division of the sport in Germany.
The agreement, which includes both national and international rights, commences from the 2014-15 season and runs through the 2017-18 campaign. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Deutsche Telekom will exploit the rights through its IPTV platform Entertain and has promised to broadcast all games live – a first for the league. Its rights encompass all 306 BBL regular-season games, all playoff encounters, the Top Four season-ending event, the BBL AllStar Day and the BBL Champions Cup.
Deutsche Telekom’s deal includes rights across online and mobile platforms and will be included at no extra cost to Entertain customers. The BBL said the telco will also offer monthly and season ticket plans for non-Deutsche Telekom customers, while managing director Jan Pommer added the league is also seeking free-to-air television partners.
Michael Hagspihl, marketing director of Deutsche Telekom, said: “The Beko Basketball Bundesliga is one of the most dynamic and attractive leagues in Germany. In the future, basketball fans will not miss a basket with us. We are pleased that we have been awarded the contract for all transmission paths to 2018. This long-term partnership will make our TV product Entertain more attractive across all platforms.”