DAZN is working towards a podium position in the French sports broadcasting space, further enhancing its portfolio with the addition of the country’s National Basketball League (LNB).
The OTT sports media platform has signed a five-year media deal with the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) and the LNB, running from September 2024 to June 2029, with the crown jewel in the deal being the Betclic Elite Championship.
Also included in the deal are the LNB’s All-Star Game in December, the Leaders Cup in February and a new tournament focusing on youth players, scheduled to take place in January.
Shay Segev, Group CEO of DAZN, noted: “Basketball is huge and growing on DAZN. We want to use our huge reach, scalable tech and digital innovation to bring the best of the sport, in engaging and exciting ways, to existing and new fans.
“The Betclic Elite Championship is a great competition and we are delighted to add it to our growing international portfolio of basketball across the platform. DAZN is rapidly becoming the global home of basketball.
“It also demonstrates DAZN’s commitment to keep adding quality content to our French offering, which is getting bigger all the time and offers excellent value to French sports fans. Building DAZN’s value proposition in France is a continued focus for the business.”
DAZN’s coverage of the LNB builds on its long-standing association with basketball via a deal with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). The company includes the likes of the FIBA World Cups, FIBA Continental Cup and the under-19 and under-17 World Cups.
It also carries the US National Basketball Association (NBA) rights in Germany and Belgium, broadcasting the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the former, as well as Austria and Switzerland.
As well as stepping up DAZN’s basketball coverage, the deal further strengthens the broadcaster’s position in France. The firm has already built up its image as a sports broadcaster in the country via a co-sharing media deal with the Ligue One top-flight football league and exclusive broadcasting rights to the Professional Fighters League (PFL) MMA tournament.
Philippe Ausseur, President of the LNB, stated: “This agreement with the DAZN platform confirms the current momentum around the LNB and the growing appeal of our championship.
“We are delighted to find a form of stability, with programming tailored to our clubs and their supporters, but also to enable all fans to benefit from the expertise of DAZN, a sports platform that has become a benchmark in the world of content.”
