New Zealand media company NZME and free-to-air broadcaster Maori Television have acquired rights to the domestic National Basketball League men’s competition.
Maori Television will show free-to-air live coverage of one game every Sunday afternoon at 3pm, as well as live coverage of the Final Four weekend. The broadcaster will also show delayed coverage of a second game every week on a Saturday afternoon.
NZME will stream coverage of at least two games a week on the website of the New Zealand Herald newspaper, which it owns, during the 2017 season.
NZME, which covered the 2016 season, will also stream all games during the Final Four weekend of the 2017 campaign.
Basketball New Zealand chief executive Iain Potter said: “It’s an exciting agreement to have two strong media partners with big audiences recognising that their viewers are increasingly tuning into basketball. It’s sensational for the NBL and Basketball New Zealand, as our players, teams and brands are building on the increasing upsurge of Kiwi fanaticism in basketball.”
The 2017 season begins on March 16 and will run for 14 weeks, culminating in the Final Four weekend from June 15-17.