The British Basketball League (BBL) has announced a new broadcast partnership with the YES Network to show games on the US regional sports network.
The YES App will also stream two live BBL games each week on Thursday and Friday as part of the deal, available to users in New York, Connecticut, northern and central New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania.
Holding one of the largest TV audiences in the US, the Yes Network has been the most watched in the country in 18 of 20 years, whilst also being the home network of the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty.
British Basketball League CEO, Aaron Radin, said: “We’re very excited about our partnership with the YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the US, to bring our League into the homes of the New York tri-state area. This announcement marks a major milestone for our League, signifying our continuing growth and ambitions.
“We are committed to delivering high-quality sports entertainment to the YES Network’s viewers to build an audience with new overseas fans.”
In addition to the two games streamed weekly, fans will be able to watch select games on the YES Network’s linear channel. The British Basketball League’s new ‘UNBEATABLE’ magazine show will also air on the YES Network and the YES App.
YES App subscribers will be able to watch homegrown talent play across the pond, including Brooklyn’s Tarik Phillips of the London Lions and Samuel Idowu of the Leicester Riders, and Buffalo-born Maceo Jack of the Cheshire Phoenix.
Recently speaking to Insider Sport on the BBL’s recent expansion into the US, through broadcast deals with New England Sports Network and NBC, Mani Gill, the league’s Head of Broadcast, praised the league’s growth in the country synonymous with basketball.
She said: “We’re extremely proud of the recent US partnerships we’ve announced (both with NESN and NBC). This is a significant milestone in the league’s growth strategy.
“We’ve been very transparent in our ambitions to expand our global footprint and to bring the very best of British basketball to the broadest possible audience and both of these deals afford us the opportunity to do just that.”
