Sky Italia nets Fiba agreement

Italian pay-television broadcaster Sky Italia has sealed an exclusive rights deal for national team events operated by Fiba, basketball’s global governing body.

The agreement will run for six years, from 2016 to 2021.

The deal will begin with the 2016 Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which will take place in Turin from July 4-9, and will include all qualifiers and major championships, such as the 2019 Basketball World Cup and the 2018 Women’s Basketball World Cup.

All continental competitions will also be covered by Sky Italia, including the 2017 and 2021 editions of the EuroBasket, as well as the 2021 edition of the Americup, Asia Cup and AfroBasket Cup.

Sky Italia is the first agreement to be announced by Fiba since the governing body established Fiba Media, a joint venture with digital sports media company Perform, under a long-term deal from 2017 to 2033.

It is also the first agreement to cover Fiba's new competition system, which is scheduled to come into effect in November 2017.