Disney.com.au
NBL & ESPN announce landmark media rights deal, bringing every game to more fans than ever before. The National Basketball League (NBL) and ESPN today announced a significant multi-year extension of its media rights deal in Australia and New Zealand, solidifying ESPN's position as the complete destination for every Hungry Jack’s NBL26 game, including finals, live.
This renewed agreement underscores the NBL’s remarkable growth and a joint commitment with The Walt Disney Company’s ESPN to make the league accessible to a broad and deeply engaged audience across Australia and New Zealand.
In a groundbreaking move, fans will now be able to stream every NBL game live on Disney+ via the ESPN tile, delivering significantly expanded access to all the thrilling action. Disney+ considerably grows the reach of the NBL, making it easier than ever for new and existing fans to watch. With Disney+ available in millions of Australian and New Zealand homes, the NBL will be exposed to a broader mainstream audience than ever before.
In addition to ESPN on Disney+, ESPN's NBL programming will continue to be included on the ESPN networks available through Foxtel, Kayo Sports, and Fetch TV in Australia, and Sky in New Zealand, with Free-to-Air games continuing on Sunday via a renewed deal with Network 10.
“We are thrilled to extend our distribution agreement with ESPN, and will continue to work closely together to ensure even more people can connect and access live NBL games,” NBL Group CEO, David Stevenson said.
“This new agreement reflects the NBL's remarkable evolution and increasing popularity, and marks another big step forward in the growth of our League. Our Broadcast audiences have grown by 106% over the past three seasons, and we are confident this new deal will ensure that trend continues as we continue to be the fastest growing professional sporting league in the country.”
It was another landmark year for the NBL with a record of 55 sell-out games and more than one million fans flowing through the turnstiles.
“We’re extremely grateful to ESPN for their partnership and loyalty, which has been instrumental in us being able to achieve another record-breaking year for basketball across Australia and New Zealand,” Stevenson added.
The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand Senior Vice President and Managing Director, and Head of ESPN Asia-Pacific, Kylie Watson-Wheeler, said: “We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the NBL as principal broadcast partner. We are a longstanding supporter of the NBL, Larry and the executive team, and believe the league will continue its strong upward trajectory.
“ESPN on Disney+ has provided a material boost to the NBL audience, adding millions to our ESPN ecosystem which includes Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch, and Sky in New Zealand.
“The NBL is key to our Home for Hoops offering, with NBL26 set to be the biggest season yet. Every single game will be available live on ESPN, in addition to our unrivalled coverage of the US major leagues, ensuring that sports fans can get the best of local and world basketball, all in one place.”
A highlight of this new agreement is the addition of the “Ignite Cup”, the new in-season tournament taking centre stage on Wednesday nights throughout the season. 21 games have been added to the calendar meaning fans can look forward to a total of 166 games. The League’s pre-season tournament, the Blitz, will also be available on ESPN on Disney+.
ESPN will continue to provide comprehensive coverage of the NBL, including weekly news and studio coverage across its social and digital channels, ensuring fans remain connected to the league more than ever before.
The NBL is coming off one of the most incredible off-seasons in its history following marquee moves and massive shake up of team rosters. Five‑time MVP Bryce Cotton stunned fans by leaving the Perth Wildcats to sign a massive three‑year deal with the Adelaide 36ers - one of the biggest free agency coups ever. Meanwhile, Kendric Davis, the runner‑up MVP from Adelaide, joined the Sydney Kings alongside NBA Champion, Matthew Dellavedova. Jack McVeigh returned to Australia after a stint in the NBA to sign a mega deal with the Cairns Taipans while former NBA 6th-man of the year Montrezl Harrell and 3-time NBA Champion JaVale McGee are set to go head-to-head on the court playing for Adelaide and Illawarra respectively. In this off-season, the NBL has added an unprecedented 1,192 games of NBA-experience, raising the bar for talent in the league like never before.
“We have seen the biggest off-season shake-up in history which has created a wave of anticipation unlike anything we’ve seen before. All 10 teams have a legitimate chance of winning the championship, and I firmly believe the NBL26 Hungry Jack’s season will be one of the best ever,” Stevenson said.
The NBL26 season tips off on September 18, 2025! Don't miss a single moment of the Round 1 action – watch every game live on ESPN, available on Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo, Fetch TV and Sky in New Zealand.
