The Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) of Abu Dhabi, UAE, has announced a new ‘long-term’ deal with basketball’s elite NBA to ensure more international games in the country in future seasons.
This multi-year deal sees the NBA commit to playing pre-season games in Abu Dhabi once again, having staged two pre-season games per year in Abu Dhabi each year since 2022.
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Additionally, the NBA has also committed to establishing an NBA Global Academy branch in Abu Dhabi, which will be focused both on local players and global prospects, with the aim of cementing the UAE’s place in the global basketball ecosystem.
Both facets of the partnership will come with an expanded range of NBA marketing activities in the market, as well as youth-development initiatives and fan-engagement activities over the course of the deal.
Furthermore, Experience Abu Dhabi, the consumer-facing tourism brand of the DCT, will remain the official tourism destination partner of the NBA, covering existing markets in the Middle East, China, and Europe, and expanding to new marketsin Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Speaking on the partnership, Abu Dhabi DCT chair Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak outlined the city’s ambition, commenting: “Extending our partnership with the NBA further strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as the new home of basketball in the Middle East and reinforces our commitment to our youth, inspiring our community, diversifying the economy, and elevating the emirate’s standing as a global destination.
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By GlobalData“The establishment of the NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi will open pathways for Emirati and UAE-based athletes, coaches, and sports professionals to learn from the world’s best, while our long-term hosting of the NBA Global Games will inspire the next generation.
“Beyond bringing world-class sporting events to our capital, the NBA’s youth programs and grassroots initiatives encourage healthy, active lifestyles and connect our residents to the universal values of sport. This multiyear commitment reflects Abu Dhabi’s ambition to be a hub for culture, entertainment, and excellence, for both our residents and visitors alike.”
The Abu Dhabi DCT has worked to associate itself with elite basketball over the past few years, and in February 2025 also became a premium partner of Europe’s top EuroLeague and EuroCup competitions, and staged the competition’s Final Four the following May
This announcement comes after the NBA’s regular-season international games in Berlin, Germany, and London, UK, galvanized regional viewership on broadcaster Prime Video.
The OTT platform owned by e-commerce giant Amazon said that coverage in the German and UK markets hit record levels.
In Germany, the January 15 Berlin fixture became the most-watched regular-season game on record in the country, and was the most-watched NBA game in Europe in the 2025-26 season thus far, thanks in part to the presence of German stars Franz and Moritz Wagner on the victorious Orlando Magic, which came from behind to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies.
The second game of the two, which took place at London’s O2 Arena on January 18, was the most-watched NBA London game in Europe ever, up 90% on the league’s last visit to the city in 2019.
Across the UK, which will host NBA regular-season action again in 2027, both the Berlin and London games ranked as the most-watched NBA Global Games ever in the market.
Prime Video’s 11-year broadcast partnership with the NBA, struck in advance of the 2025-26 season, is worth $1.8 billion-per-year, and covers an expanded package of games in select territories, including Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK, and Ireland.
This expanded package includes a minimum of 20 additional primetime regular-season games each year, a Conference Finals series each year, and the NBA Finals in six of the 11 years.
Since that deal began, Prime Video has reported 184% viewership growth year-on-year for its NBA coverage in Europe, with the UK (+312%) and Germany (+246%) markets performing particularly well.
Alex Green, Managing Director of Prime Video Sport, International, said: "These record audiences on Prime Video demonstrate an untapped demand for the NBA in Europe, and we saw that passion once again for the 2026 NBA Global Games last week. Audiences are consistently tuning in and making the NBA on Prime a part of their weekly sports schedule, especially across our primetime weekend games.
"In Europe alone, we are broadcasting in seven different languages with dedicated play-by-play and analyst voices, so we’re delighted to see this response by fans.”
