FIBA, the global basketball governing body, has continued its global broadcast expansion by landing new deals across Italy, Finland, and sub-Saharan Africa until 2029.
Pay-TV heavyweight Sky Italia secured rights in the country to a large slate of top FIBA tournaments, including the flagship men’s 2027 World Cup in Doha, Qatar, and the final phase of the 2026 Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany, as well as qualifiers for both tournaments.
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This agreement was brokered by FIBA Media, the strategic partnership between FIBA and sports streaming service DAZN.
The deal includes the final stages of the Women’s EuroBasket competition in 2027 and 2029, the qualifying and final stage games from the men’s EuroBasket 2029, as well as other men’s and women’s continental events from Africa, America, and Asia.
Sky will also provide coverage of the men’s and women’s Olympic qualifying tournaments for LA28.
The rights add to Sky Italia’s burgeoning portfolio of rights aired on its new Sky Sport Basketball channel, which includes an expanded offering of North America’s NBA and WNBA, the country’s top-tier Lega Basket Serie A competition, as well as the EuroLeague and EuroCup.
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By GlobalDataFrank Leender, director general of FIBA Media and Marketing Services, stated: "It's a significant agreement to have signed with Sky as it really does highlight the growth and popularity of basketball in Italy.
"Access to elite-level FIBA national team competitions was the missing piece, and with this deal, Sky will be able to offer an enhanced package and one that will satisfy the huge appetite Italian viewers have for the sport."
Over in Finland, FIBA has renewed its deal with the Nelonen Media company, which will use its subscription platform Ruutu+ to showcase the governing body’s premier events until 2029.
The four-year contract will begin with coverage of this week’s men’s World Cup 2027 European qualifiers, when Finland play Hungary on November 28. Ruutu+ customers will also be given access to all Finland national team games until 2029, live and on demand.
The deal follows Nelonen’s coverage of FIBA Eurobasket 2025, which saw strong viewership as Finland reached the semi-finals. The Finnish city of Espoo has also gained a hosting contract for a group stage of the Women’s EuroBasket 2027.
Ruutu+ will also provide coverage of key games from other tournaments, including from the women’s and men’s World Cups in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
Ruutu+’s coverage will complement the coverage shown by Finnish national broadcaster YLE, which has secured rights through FIBA’s deal with the European Broadcasting Union.
Nelonen Media's head of sports, Tuomas Saarela, said: “After the unforgettable EuroBasket, we wanted to continue being part of the Finnish team’s journey in one way or another.”
Basketball fans across sub-Saharan Africa, meanwhile, will gain more access to FIBA’s slate of tournaments via an exclusive English-language rights deal with international sports broadcaster ESPN.
The partnership starts with the World Cup 2027 African qualifiers on November 27, featuring African powerhouses Senegal, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria playing to book a place for the World Cup in Doha.
Coverage will continue with the Women’s World Cup 2026 qualifier tournament in March, featuring Nigeria, Mali, South Sudan, and Senegal, as well as the tournament proper in September 2026.
During the four-year rights cycle, there will also be multiple Continental Cup tournaments, including the FIBA AfroBasket for men and women, as well as the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for LA 2028.
Leenders said: "Fans right across sub-Saharan Africa are not only going to be able to benefit from increased opportunities to watch the best FIBA competitions in the world, but they will also be guaranteed high-quality delivery and content from ESPN across its various platforms.
"Africa already has a huge appetite for the sport, but we particularly recognize the potential for significant growth in women's basketball across the region – something this expanded ESPN Africa agreement will support."
The raft of deals comes after FIBA announced it had agreed a four-year deal with CazeTV, the Brazilian sports streaming channel run by YouTuber Casemiro Miguel, for rights to Brazilian national team games and top-tier events.
Earlier this month, the governing body secured a partnership with French pay-TV heavyweight BeIN Sports until 2029, adding to its coverage in the country alongside commercial broadcaster TF1 to cover French national team games, also through 2029.
