NBA coming to Free-to-Air TV

[blackwind]

From smh.com.au...

A 24-HOUR sports channel to be launched next year on free-to-air television will revolutionise the Australian broadcasting landscape.

Network Ten is set to lay down the gauntlet to Fox Sports and its free-to-air rivals next month when it unveils plans for its high-definition channel, which will run local and international sport around the clock.

While Ten executives remained tight-lipped last night, it is understood their subtle but systematic buying campaign of big sporting events continued last week in Monaco at Sportel, the global trade show of sporting rights.

Not only has Ten just outbid Channel Nine to win the Australian swimming rights; the network's new trump cards include the US NBA basketball, the US Major League baseball, the US Open golf and tennis championships and the US Masters golf.

The 2009 AFL grand final will also be simulcast on Ten's high-definition channel and it will extend its AFL coverage to include a Monday night review program to be hosted by Stephen Quartermain and featuring Robert Walls.

The network also recently bought the rights to televise the Trans-Tasman Netball League.

It has been devising its high-definition sporting strategy for at least 12 months but has refused to divulge the extent of its sporting assault. In a further blow to pay television, later this week the free-to-air body Free TV is scheduled to announce Free View, an electronic program guide showing all schedules on all five channels, including high-definition, in the manner of the Foxtel guide which operates from a box on top of screens for pay-TV subscribers.

The HD channels, with the exception of ABC1, mostly mirror what is being shown on the main channels but with a superior picture quality. Occasionally they break away to show other content, but from January 1 each of the three free-to-air commercial networks will have permission to - but are not compelled to - launch a new standard-definition channel. An estimated 15 per cent of Australian televisions can show HD while standard-definition sets make up an estimated third.

Ten's national sport supremo, David White, has driven the coup.

Ten is expected to announce its new channel in mid-November.

It has also bought the rights to IPL cricket and the Nascar series highlighted by the Daytona 500, and owns rights to all Formula One Grand Prix events.

Great stuff, will be good to get some NBA basketball without needing Foxtel, or using bittorrent.

[Celtic Pride]

This is awesome news.

I was hoping that this would happen but hadn't seen anything to confirm it, so thanks for the update.

[clipper]

as Marv Albert would say.... "YESSSSSSSS"

[chadjaja]

Just what the NBL needs. Lets hope they do a cheap deal for that too.

[gemini0928]

It sounds great!

[ozballer23]

It's an awesome idea, pay tv is killing sports.

[Shadow Puppet]

Just what we need, until pay tv picks up NBA TV. lol

[ozballer23]

Just what we need, until pay tv picks up NBA TV. lol

pay tv already has nba

[Shadow Puppet]

pay tv already has nba

Not the 24 hr HD NBA Channel.

[ozballer23]

Not the 24 hr HD NBA Channel.

Thats true, there goes my job