Set to cover the upcoming 2019/20 season, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has secured a one-year media rights deal with Brazilian media company Bandeirantes.
The new agreement will authorize the broadcaster, most commonly known as Band, to show two live regular-season games each week across its free-to-air (FTA) and pay-TV channels as well as gaining the rights to broadcast the NBA Finals.
Rodrigo Vicentini, the NBA’s operations lead in Brazil, commented on the partnership: “It’s an important step that we take to make the NBA even closer to our fans in the country.
“The screening of last season’s finals was a very successful experience and now, with the entire 2019/20 season, we are sure to repeat the broadcasting spectacle.”
The announcement of the partnerships follows on from a test screening agreement back in the 2018/19 season when Band was offered the rights to the NBA Finals. The test screening agreement was a precursor to a season-long media agreement, which covers around 50 regular-season games.
The broadcaster joins the likes of ESPN, SporTV, and Vivo TV which also have rights to broadcast NBA games in the region.
The move brings coverage of the NBA regular-season to Brazilian FTA for the first time since 2004, when rights to the North American professional basketball competition were carried by Brazilian network RedeTV.
