Word is that Fox have spat the dummy due to One HD showing High Stakes Hoops containing NBL players.

Or did everyone already know that?

this is great news!

Saw the announcement on Ten News.

Great stuff!

NBL website story: http://linky.com.au/7d1q8

ONE and TEN the new home of Australian basketball
Following a thrilling 2009/10 National Basketball League season that marked a renaissance for the NBL and just days after announcing the rebirth of the Sydney Kings, Basketball Australia have unveiled a new broadcast deal with Network Ten and its digital sports channel ONE.

In a move that is set to offer a wide array of commercial opportunities for the NBL, BA has signed a five-year deal to show games live on both ONE and TEN nationally through to the end of the 2014/15 NBL season.

I can finally see some light for NBL; without this they would not have lasted too much longer. This is going to completey change the league's future!

One thing comes to mind. Will Ten/One use the NZ home games as part of the two games week? Or will these games be an added bonus?

now with it back on free to air lets hope it gose back to the way it was in the 80s

not that keen on listening to Carfino, but hopefully they will be showing plenty of 36er road games.

Goodbye Foxtel....... I'll leave the box in the gutter out the front of the house, and your more than welcome to collect your dish....

It was mentioned that One would be showing 'selected' Boomers and Opals games too. Hope that means some World Championship coverage and not just friendlies!

Yep - heard that too Benatown on the news item. Looking forward to it as that comment really got me excited!

My wife is happy we can get rid of Foxtel. Big question now Tivo or PVR?

I believe Fox is showing the WCs this year. Good news on the deal, shame it is only two games per week minimum, hopefully a reasonable chunk of those are on Ten.

I wonder if it was for $800m like the AFL TV deal?!!!

Now this is just awesome news.

Best thing to happen for Basketball in this country in the past two years was; NBA coverage on OneHD just shortly after launching, with an insane playoff series with the Bulls and Celtics; Now a number of games a week including double headers and replays at reasonable times; College Hoops has been getting decent ratings, so they are showing more; NBL for a 5 year contract to see out the 2014/2015 playoffs.

This should be a good return for BA, getting more kids playing the game.

Just brilliant!

Big Sexy,

I can recommend the Beyonwiz.

Purchasing TiVo a year ago now is proving to be one of the best purchases I ever did!

Well....who the hell have the NBL hired thats finally pulling some big moves!!
Great news, good Bball day today for the off season I must admit!

Great news for the sport. Also said the figures for juniors had gone up.

On the topic of the high stakes challenge thing, i was watching the ANZ netball championship the other night (nothing else on) and apparently Julie Corletto owns one of the teams. Is she darryls sister?

They are married.

AAD, I think the NZ games might be extra. We'll see though.

BA did get paid by Fox for Boomers/Opals games so will have to make up that shortfall somewhere. I think being on FTA however will help clubs and the NBL get sponsors.

By the end of the 5 year deal, OneHDw ill be showing 5 games live per week.

"Live coverage of the NBL will grow over the term of the agreement, starting with a minimum of two live games a week on either ONE or TEN in 20010/11 and increasing to five games per round in the final year of the contract."

This is fantastic! Minimum 2 live games per week leaves the door open for more than that too...

The mix of One vs Ten is critical.

Of course it could mean that the fianls only are shown on ten this season (a likely scenario) and if that is the case then, as Paul and I have both mentioned here previously, that could actually be a very bad move for the league. One HD's ratings are very poor, meaning less exposure for league and club sponsors.

I suspect there is another, better piece of news in the wings - something like a major sponsor signing that was dependent on FTA coverage - much the same as the money from Holden basically pays for the netball coverage.

Does anyone know if the NBL or Ten are doing the production?

HO - OneHD ratings look pretty comparable to any of the Fox Sports Channels or ESPN, according to OzTAM. Even if they show zero games on Ten I don't see how it's a step back on that basis - at any rate, it's certainly not a "critical" matter IMO. Also note that One's ratings get cannibalised by Ten whenever they show popular events on both channels. Surely more significant is that 1.6m people have Foxtel, while over half the Australia population has access to a TV with a digital tuner.

Great day for NBL and the Sixers yesterday! Things are looking up.

HO ever tried to get ratings from Foxtel?
Stats show that even Slamball has 4 times the viewers that the NBL had on Fox. Great news for the NBL and the whole of basketball yesterday.

it's a non-factor. you're literally guarranteed more view on OneHD than Fox. Here you have the regular Fox viewers and now some kids who actually plays ball and other casual viewers. So that's a no-brainer

I think what HO is saying is that ratings may not necessarily improve, and the league may have sacrificed some money by taking the Ten/ONE deal (which I heard is around $800K per season??).

So to make up that money in the short term the FTA exposure needs to generate extra sponsorship,and the best way to do that is to have regular exposure on Ten, which increases potential audience and also drives people to the broadcasts on ONE if they like what they see.

If HO is right and a naming rights sponsor is imminent, that is another positive, and takes the pressure off clubs to pay the operational costs of the league.

For mine, the 5 year commitment with increasing coverage and a respectable rights fee makes this a winner, and I will be $60 per month richer!

Out of interest, I was told the average NBL audience on Fox the last couple of years was around the 15k mark, down from what had been around the 30k mark for many years.

A fantastic deal.
FTA TV means more exposure and more interest. More sponsorship opportunities open up and the game will grow during this time.

While the country people may miss out, at least we can put it on VCR and post it to them

I dont think it will be too long before major country areas will get ONE, from what is published about the roll out.

What's a VCR Jack???

HO have you ever said anything positive about anything ???

I think this goes far beyond the Fox TV deal. Worry about that money is short-sighted.

Now that the league is on FTA it dramatically increases the chance of Bribane back in the league and the likes of Gold Coast staying in.

While sponsorship deal is going to go up almost guarranteed. Been involved in this first hand I know how sponsors wouldn't commit bigger $$$ due to lack of exposure.

thats just stupid smeh... if you bother to read many of my posts in the past have been supportive of BA when others have bagged them.

I've posted yesterday that Clarke is a very good move by the Sixers...

I've talked up Australia's outstanding development programs when others have bagged or questioned them.

I've defended the NBL schedule when others have attacked it because I realise just how impossible a task it is to make anyone happy with it.

I am just never ever sold by the press release... perhaps like the hollow men I know just a little too much about how they are put together!

Facts are that the move to FTA will only be successful if it is backed by ratings and if TEN show a good number of games, not just park the content on One HD.

Any simpleton can say its good to have the league back on FTA and that FTA is a panacea for everything. It takes some thinking to realise that there is a risk involved.

I really hope its successful, but the history of the NBL is poor ratings whenever its been on FTA ... resulting in the FTA demise.

Facts are that the move to FTA will only be successful if it is backed by ratings and if TEN show a good number of games, not just park the content on One HD.

HO - I don't see why being on 10 is any better/worse. Ten advertise One HD content, and treat the channels as a mutually beneficial network rather than seperate channels.

One HD to me is a specialist sports channel, and is the right place for the NBL. I don't care if there isn't one game on channel 10.

I was thinking about when games will be shown and this is a really good thing for the NBL as a summer sport. There is no way this deal goes down if it was competing with AFL, League and Union in winter.

One HD has a much wider potential audience than Foxtel. The "big switch" is on and everyone who needs a functional TV can get One digital or HD within the lifetime of this deal. However, HO is right in One having only a small audience at the moment - that said, with more live sport it can only get better.

If you look at what was on on Saturday night this year it was pretty disappointing (IPL greatest matches I think?) Cricket and 2 weeks of Tennis are the major live sport competition on FTA TV. The NBL may well be the best thing on usually crappy Summer TV, on nights when Cricket is not being played.

Definitely happy overall.

thedoctor, Channel 10's ratings are over 10 times ONE's, that is why it is crucial to have some exposure on Ten (which I believe increases over the life of the deal) to attract good sponsorship deals.

ONE has a greater potential audience than Fox, but currently it doesnt have a bigger audience than Fox. What I like is the 5 year deal, because by that time I think a lot more people will have gotten used to flicking to 1, and not just 7,9 and 10.

The fact that Ten/ONE are paying $600-800K per year is good too, as that money is certainly needed at the moment.

Paul - the exposure on 10 comes through the advertisments for the games showing on OneHD.

There's no way that 10 will show NBL in prime time or in competition with AFL, or even motorsport. Maybe a replay here or there at an odd hour.

Live games on OneHD is the best the NBL can hope for, and a great result at that.

I tend to agree about NBL games not being shown on Ten. ONE is their sports content channel, so that is where they will show the NBL. I don't see a problem with that as long as there is promotion for it on Ten and ONE continues to expand its coverage in regional areas.

Also, your target audience for the NBL is people who like sports in the first place. People who like sport will switch on ONE and see whats on, rather than Ten, and they are the people who will give NBL a go. The people who switch on to see what's on Ten, aren't looking for sport and if they see basketball, are more likely to change to Nine or Seven IMO.

I think the point that HO is trying to make is that for the clubs to be able to benefit from this move and get more sponsorship dollars flowing in they need to be able to tell the corporates that their name will definately be seen on channel 10 rather than on ONE. They all want their logo in Joe Publics eye as much as possible.

Sure to actually watch the games there really is no difference as I can easily select ONE but for the casual observer who may only be channel surfing they will most probably not venture to the realms of the new digital channels. Over time Im sure this will change but for now Id say that not a great deal of people channel surf to the digital channels.

Statman - I understand the point HO is trying to make. More exposure equals more sponsorship dollars. My point is that simply getting on to FTA television is a huge step, and it is not realistic to expect Ch 10 to put the NBL on to its flagship channel in place of proven ratings winners, whether they be sport or general programming.

great news. can only bode well for the future of the league.

SOS will be very glad about it to i imagine, their investment will be increasing every day.