ESPN picks up Fiba rights in US

Sports broadcaster ESPN has acquired rights in the US to a range of national team events operated by the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).

The five-year deal runs until 2021 and grants ESPN rights to all men’s and women’s continental cups during this period.

ESPN will also broadcast qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup, and the 2018 Women’s World Cup, which takes place in Tenerife, Spain.

Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice-president of programming and scheduling, said: “This is our largest deal to date with Fiba, which will expand our year-round basketball presence exponentially.”

The agreement was brokered by Fiba Media, the strategic partnership between Fiba and digital sports media company Perform.