Tonight marks the start of live NBA coverage of the 2023-24 season on the BBC, with the public broadcaster once again snapping up rights to screen a selection of games until the end of the current season.
- NBA games will be screened across BBC One, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer
- Five games from the regular season will be shown live, starting with Philadelphia 76ers v Cleveland Cavaliers overnight tonight.
- BBC online services including the BBC Sport website and app will offer NBA highlights.
Half past midnight, Saturday morning (Friday evening in the US) marks the start a new deal between the NBA and BBC. With the move, the NBA and BBC hope to bring live basketball to a wider audience across the BBC’s outlets, repeating a similar deal struck last season.
NBA coverage debuts with live coverage from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as the 76ers host the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This season, there will be more live games on the BBC than last year, when eight games were screened. Five games from the regular season are confirmed. However, there’s also coverage of an additional four Playoffs and Finals games from April to June. Coverage will be split across BBC One, BBC Three and the BBC iPlayer.
Alongside live games, the BBC Sport website and app will cover the best moments from across the season.
Philip Bernie, Interim Director BBC Sport says:
“Last year we brought live, free-to-air NBA games to our audience. This year we now have some of the biggest games of the season, showcasing the NBA’s brightest stars, and fans can also keep across the action on our website and app.”
Bastien Lacheny, NBA Europe and Middle East Vice President, Global Media Distribution says:
“We are excited to bring NBA basketball back to the BBC. Fans in the UK will be able watch live action across BBC platforms as part of our commitment to making NBA games and programming available to our passionate fans on the devices and platforms they use most.”