Australian commercial broadcaster Nine Network has pipped rival Network Ten to secure free-to-air rights (FTA) to the country’s top-tier National Basketball League (NBL) for the next two years.
The partnership begins with the 2026-27 NBL season and will see two marquee games aired every week across the 9Network linear channel and 9Now streaming service, including Saturday night fixtures and coverage of the NBL Finals Series.
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As well as live games, Nine Network’s coverage will include a weekly ‘NBL Overtime’ analysis show and a dedicated hub launched on 9Now that will feature highlights, classic games, and catch-up content.
The NBL will sit alongside Nine’s coverage of the women’s WNBL and tie-in with its broader ‘Runway to LA28’ Olympic broadcast plans, with the country’s men’s (Boomers) and women’s (Opals) teams set to participate in the flagship event.
Brent Williams, Nine Network’s director of sport, said: “The NBL is without a doubt one of Australia's most engaging and fastest growing sports competitions.
“The standard of the game has never been higher, passion from the fans has never been stronger and an innovative broadcast approach from all stakeholders makes this a perfect addition to Nine's suite of sport assets.”
The announcement comes shortly after it was reported by Australia’s Herald Sun that the NBL was in talks with several broadcasters over a new deal that would see a significant increase in coverage.
Nine Network takes the FTA package from rival commercial broadcaster Network Ten, which held the rights for the 2025-26 season as part of a one-year renewal struck last August, which saw it air two games each Sunday at 2.30 pm (AEDT) on Channel 10 and 4.30 pm on Drama 10.
Primary rights to the league, meanwhile, are held by international sports broadcaster ESPN under a three-year deal that sees it air every match live, as well as games from the new in-season tournament, the Ignite Cup, each Wednesday night, and the pre-season tournament, The Blitz.
In total, ESPN airs 166 live NBL games during the season, along with weekly news and studio coverage.
ESPN is available in Australia through pay-TV operator Foxtel, its streaming service Kayo, and subscription service Fetch TV, as well as pay-TV heavyweight Sky in New Zealand, via carriage deals with ESPN.
NBL Group chief executive David Stevenson said: “This partnership with Nine is about building on that momentum and making our game more accessible than ever before. Having two games broadcast live every week is a major win for fans and a powerful platform to continue growing the game.”
The increase in FTA coverage comes on the back of record growth in attendance, broadcast, and digital performance for the 2025-26 season, headlined by a 21% season-on-season increase in live streaming on ESPN.
The figure shows two consecutive years of over 20% growth in ESPN viewership, while Network Ten saw an 18% increase in viewership compared to its 2024-25 season coverage.
Specifically, Network Ten’s viewership during the NBL’s finals series surged by 36% on its primary linear channel, driven by a Championship Series that saw the Sydney Kings beat the Adelaide 36ers in overtime of their game five decider.
The league said game five of the Championship Series achieved the highest reach in ESPN history for the NBL, with the game also becoming Network Ten’s most-watched NBL game, reaching 559,000.
The estimated 900,000 viewers across ESPN and Network 10 for game five is a 76% increase on ESPN and a 62% boost on FTA compared to last season’s decider.
Along with record viewership numbers, the NBL saw the highest attendance, drawing 1,231,796 fans across the season – the second consecutive year the record has been broken and the third straight season with over one million fans attending games.
The Championship Series alone drew a record 70,269 fans across the five-game battle between the Adelaide 36ers and Sydney Kings.
The league also announced a record 63 sell-out games across the season after last year’s record of 55 games.
Digital engagement also drew record figures, with the league’s social media audience reaching almost two million followers, with over 70% of the NFL’s Instagram and YouTube views in the past month originating from international audiences, highlighting its global growth.
The NBL 2026-27 season schedule will be released later this year.
