TVE picks up Euroleague action

Spanish public-service broadcaster TVE has acquired rights for games featuring leading Spanish team Real Madrid in the Euroleague club basketball competition.

The deal will initially run through to the end of the 2012-13 season, but there is an option to extend the agreement for a further two seasons.

The agreement also includes rights to a selection of Euroleague games featuring other Spanish teams, with Caja Laboral, Barcelona and Unicaja Malaga still competing in the 2012-13 tournament.

The rights will be exploited on TVE’s digital-terrestrial sports channel Teledeporte.

TVE struck the deal with Euroleague Basketball, which operates the tournament.

The Euroleague Top 16 competition, which followed the end of the regular-season campaign in December, will conclude in April before the championship tournament, the Final Four, takes place in May.