Nine and its SVOD service Stan is eyeing off the $20m annual rights to the National Basketball League (NBL), according to reports in The Australian.
Nine secured the NBL rights in August 2018 in what was supposed to be a three-year deal. However, in 2019, Nine pulled the pin on the deal, while SBS and ESPN took over the rights.
And now, Nine is set to bid once again for the rights to build its growing Stan Sports service. It comes after the broadcaster won the rugby union rights in a $100m deal in late 2020.
Nine declined B&T‘s request for comment.
The delayed NBL season begins Friday night, with SBS and ESPN’s contract expiring after the upcoming season, which is set to finish by the end of June.
Should Nine and Stan win the rights, it would be for the 2021-22 season which is scheduled to run from October onwards.
The Oz is also reporting Foxtel and its Kayo streaming service could bid for the rights, however, reports suggest Nine is the front-runner.
Meanwhile, provider of sports data intelligence and sports entertainment solutions Sportradar has announced a multi-year partnership with the NBL to bring its live broadcast to a wider audience as the international media (broadcast rights) distributor and OTT partner.
Sportradar will work with the NBL to enhance distribution and coverage for its media rights across broadcast and online platforms for global audiences, including basketball territories such as China, South East Asia, the US and Europe.