Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Sky Sports, US Sports, NBA
Ryan Smart
Sky Sports have announced they have reached an agreement to broadcast a returning sport for the next 11 years - and fans are delighted.
As well as being the main broadcaster of the Premier League, Sky is also the home of international cricket in England and also shows live golf, tennis and F1.
But there have been occasions that the broadcaster has lost out on the right to show certain sports, including the NBA and WNBA to TNT Sports last year.
But the corporation has now announced that it has secured a new 11-year agreement to show live NBA and WNBA matches from the 2025/26 season, meaning the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Caitlin Clark will return to Sky.
The acquisition is a major boost for Sky, with the broadcaster becoming the UK home of the NBA in 2018 before losing the rights.
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They are not the only corporation to hold the rights in the UK over the next 11 years, with Amazon Prime Video permitted to show '20 additional primetime regular season games each year, a Conference Finals series each year, and the NBA Finals in six of the 11 years'. Sky's specific package has yet to be disclosed.
NBA and WNBA games will be shown on Sky in European markets through NBCUniversal and Peacock, which has also shown Premier League football, WWE and golf among other broadcasts.
In a statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: "Our new global media agreements will maximise the reach and accessibility of NBA games for fans in the United States and around the world.
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"These partners will distribute our content across a wide range of platforms and help transform the fan experience over the next decade."
The 2024/25 regular season of the NBA is due to get underway in October 2024, with the play-offs and finals taking place between April and June 2025 before Sky's deal then kicks in.