Buzzer beater: Levelling the basketball stage in Europe with the NBA's push on personalised scheduling and enhanced apps to pull in viewers By Heather McLean
Thursday, February 6, 2025 - 14:53
Print This Story
Today NBA games are available to view in 47 European countries, in 38 languages, and through 36 broadcast partners and on NBA League Pass, its premium live game subscription service. Pictured, French player Victor Wembanyama at the NBA Paris Games 2025 [Credit: NBAE/Getty Images]
The NBA is pushing one of the most exciting sports globally out to viewers using personalised scheduling for European broadcasters as well as an enhanced app for fans, and importantly for the future, a revolutionised rights holders set up that will level the global stage.
When it comes to the fulfilling the dreams of basketball fans in Europe, today NBA games are available to view in 47 European countries, in 38 languages, and through 36 broadcast partners and on NBA League Pass, its premium live game subscription service.
Given the diverse European market, the way the NBA distributes that content in the region has been evolving over the last five to 10 years as well, in a bid to give fans a more significant and personalised viewing.
Historically the NBA delivered the same content to all markets over satellite, because everybody wanted the same game, states Bastien Lacheny, NBA vice president, global media distribution for Europe and the Middle East, the game of LeBron James or Steph Curry, but now in the last 10 years, I think we've seen so many different local superstars European superstars popping up and growing, that we have had to adapt .
That has meant a move to SRT and fibre distribution for a more efficient and cost effective delivery operation, and importantly, a personalised content service for broadcasters.
Speaking to SVG Europe, Lacheny elaborates: Games that are the ones that the actual local fans want and not just the best game of the night in a one size fits all strategy are important, because localisation is required. We're doing it increasingly.
We've put in place something that we call flexible scheduling that literally allows our partners to have the ability to pick different games, Lacheny continues. We always come to them at the beginning of the season with the schedule that we believe is the most relevant one, but on the basis of a local player or team performances, our broadcast partners have the ability to pick different games and to have ultimately the most relevant games delivered to the local fan.
And in addition to live game broadcasts, we now have 21 social media accounts in eight languages across five different platforms in Europe only. Our work and the work of the content team and the marketing teams and digital teams has become more exciting, because we have a lot of local players and local talent, but it's also a lot more granular and customised country by country, to make sure we deliver the most relevant content to every fan.
Last season was the NBA's most-viewed season ever across its social and digital platforms in Europe, surpassing 700 million video views in the region for the first time.
NBA players battle it out in the Spurs vs Pacers game in Paris on 25 January [Credit: NBAE/Getty Images]
Enhanced app
Lacheny comments on what is driving this exciting growth in fandom within Europe: There's the interest in basketball, in the NBA brand, and players, and the interest that is driven by local player in their home country and region. Fans in Europe want to watch their games and highlights on the devices and platforms they use most, and when it's most convenient for them.
He adds that the NBA has seen a transfer of the consumption of its video content from its website nba.com which when it launched in the late 1990s was cutting edge for the time, to the NBA app which was revamped in 2022 and where, he adds, we've also been adapting the experience and the user journey to what people are used to on social networks .
He goes on: So for instance, we've introduced a format that is very similar to the stories that you'll find on Instagram [on the app]. And that became a massive driver of the growth in terms of time spent and video views in just a few years, after we've relaunched a new version of the NBA app just a few years ago.
Global stage
Huge things are now afoot in the rights department for the NBA, where following an announcement six months ago, global rights holders are changing from regional and decentralised, to centralised and international. This is set to be a bonus for global fans of the sport.
Lacheny explains: We're basically coming from decades of an ecosystem where in most of the territories in Europe, we had one local partner that was owning our rights exclusively, to an ecosystem where rights will be shared between global and local partners.
The future is very exciting because it's going to be a big shift in the way we distribute our content, states Lacheny. Looking ahead to next season, we are delighted to have announced that we will continue our partnership with the Walt Disney Company, and begin new agreements with NBC Universal and Amazon Prime Video for the next 11 seasons, which means that we're going to have a lot of time to build up those partnerships together.
This deal stems from the US media rights domestic agreements, however, it is the most global deal ever made by the NBA. Explains Lacheny: Those three companies acquired content globally. This is also the first time that all the games are going to be available in the US on streaming platforms
And so you have NBC Universal that has acquired games in the Sky territories, in UK and Ireland, in Italy and in the German, Australia and Switzerland region. Amazon also acquired a package o
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan's 62nd Golden Hors...
25/11/2025
Tracy Bonareri Onchoke, an investigative journalist from Kenya is the winner of the Thomson Foundation's Young Journalist Award 2025.
The 26-year-old-sele...
25/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Blayke Scheer, Senior Director, Creative Content, YES NetworkThe Indiana alum has turned storytelling into an artform for more than two decadesBy...
25/11/2025
Op-Ed: With FCC's C-Band Auction on the Horizon, Broadcasters Need Proven, C...
25/11/2025
Analysis: Is Baller League really the future of sport? By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
With KSI on...
25/11/2025
Platinum Whitepaper: The Growth of Broadcast in the World of Major Large Scale E...
25/11/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: SVG Women's Sports WorkshopBy Samantha Gabay
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - 10:27 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlig...
25/11/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: CacheFly's Matt Levine on the Evolving Role of th...
25/11/2025
Peacock's EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast Levels Up on Thanksgiving With SkyCam as...
25/11/2025
Mathias Broe attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Sauna at Library Center Theatre. (Photo by Michael Hurcomb/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Fes...
25/11/2025
The best playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks bring a little extra magic to your daily routine. With new features and offerings, Spotify Premium delivers even mo...
25/11/2025
Comprehensive new research confirms what we already knew: Australian music fans love the quality, quantity, and access they have to new and local music on strea...
25/11/2025
Applicable Products
Objectives The purpose of this application note is to give a brief background on 5G (NR) wireless communication an explain the reason a SN...
25/11/2025
Nielsen will now measure both Lionsgate's FAST channel MovieSphere and Movie...
Buzzer beater: Levelling the basketball stage in Europe with the NBA's push on personalised scheduling and enhanced apps to pull in viewers By Heather McLean 
