BBL TV to screen 30 live HD games

A huge announcement today from the British Basketball League (BBL) came in the shape of BBL TV, a brand new dedicated platform for British basketball fans that will screen 30 live games from the 2013/14 season in full HD.

Subscribing to BBL TV will cost £29.99 for the season, which will give access to all the live games that can be viewed online via computer, and also through handheld mobile/tablet devices.

The BBL’s Commercial Director, David Leyden Dunbar, revealed that while it has been worked upon behind the scenes, the time is now right to unleash the product on to the market: “BBL TV has been in development for over nine months now and it’s thrilling to finally be able to share this innovation with our audience and fans. Nothing compares to live sport and the quality of our coverage leaves me in no doubt that this will be the best seat in the house.

“We’ll be broadcasting live from across the UK from The Emirates in Glasgow to The Copper Box Arena in London and the power is in the hands of our fans to make the channel a success. With the League Pass costing less that £1 per game I’m confident we can’t be beaten on value but the plan is to continue to grow season to season through the support of the UK’s basketball fan base, 30 live games is really just the beginning.”

At first glance, the news may have had many wondering about the future of an outright television deal, which for the past three years has seen BBL action featured weekly during the season on Sky Sports, but Leyden Dunbar has assured fans that work is well under way to secure a similar agreement in the coming weeks: “I’m thrilled with the official launch of BBL TV which is aimed at giving our fans access to more live content from the beginning of the new season. Our 30 game package is intended to be complimentary to a mainstream broadcast deal and not a replacement.

“Discussions are currently progressing well in relation to our mainstream broadcast partner and I’ll look forward to being in a position to update the BBL audience soon. Until then I’d urge all British Basketball fans to get behind this exciting new development.”

The first game to be shown live comes on October 6th, where the broadcast will be beamed from The Emirates Arena as Glasgow Rocks will take on Surrey Heat. Dan Routledge will be BBL TV’s anchor for the entire season, and will be joined by guest co-commentators each week for every live game on offer.