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It was announced on Wednesday morning that the upcoming all-Australian NBL tour of China, which features three matches, would be broadcast by pay-TV provider Fox Sports.
This is a massive step forward for both basketball in this country and also the NBL when it comes to their five-year deal with Fox Sports that was signed at the start of the recently completed 2015-16 season.
The China side, which is made up mainly of Olympic Games hopefuls, will not only give the Aussies a quality test on the court but should provide some very entertaining and interesting matches. The Australian team meanwhile, has rewarded those who had good seasons in the NBL but obviously don’t have off-season commitments around the world.
The best part about this series isn’t the players who have been selected, however. Oh no. Fox Sports are broadcasting, and back to the contract signed with the NBL at the start of the year, there was one very specific clause in it.
Despite it being five years long, there would be a review at the end of the first year to affirm Fox Sports were still happy to broadcast what was very much a struggling code at the time. While it is still struggling compared to other sports here in Australia, the 2015-16 season, as documented on numerous occasions, saw massive improvement.
The review from Fox Sports relied on TV ratings, the Brisbane Bullets re-entering the competition and their overall satisfaction with the product.
It could only assume then, that Fox coming on board to broadcast the series in China, with their own commentary team, is a massive step in the right direction to having that deal and the last four years of it confirmed.
While TV ratings were not massive, they were still on par with some other lower ranking sports broadcast on Foxtel, and probably outclassed Fox Sports expectations. There could be no complaints about the on-court content though, with a majority of games going down to the wire and being high quality.
The NBL has also done a great job in setting up the Brisbane Bullets as they continue to build a strong roster. This already includes Daniel Kickert and Adam Gibson, and with Australian Boomers head coach Andrej Lemanis at the helm things are looking up for the reborn Brisbane club.
Even the most annoyed NBL fan has to admit the league was easier to follow than ever before last season, and the NBL app with each game being streamed gave another option for fans.
Maybe even more important for the future of the NBL and basketball in Australia though is the fact that it is being broadcast by Chinese station CCTV 5, with a massive audience reach. The NBL’s CEO Larry Kestelman has publicly stated he wants to take the NBL into Asia before and sees it as a massive development area.
Whether you agree with the idea or not (for the record, I am against it) this series could be massive in beginning to get the NBL recognised throughout Asia, which whether teams are there or not could one day become a large TV market for Australian basketball.
You have to remember that basketball is an outrageously popular sport right throughout the Asian continent. Areas like China and the Philippines in particular love their hoops.
The series itself should be a cracker. Both teams have plenty on the line and will be looking to put on a show for what are expected to be strong crowds and big TV audiences – certainly in Asia.
Australian squad
Daniel Kickert (Melbourne United), Lucas Walker (Adelaide 36ers), Jason Cadee (Sydney Kings), Jesse Wagstaff (Perth Wildcats), Mitch Norton (Townsville Crocodiles), Todd Blanchfield (Melbourne United), David Barlow (Melbourne United), Clint Steindl (Townsville Crocodiles), Tommy Garlepp (Sydney Kings), Adam Gibson (Adelaide 36ers).
Fixtures (sll times AEST)
Game 1: Friday, May 6 at Gymnasium of Guangxi Sports Centre, Nan Ning – 9:30pm
Game 2: Sunday, May 8 at Guangzhou Tianhe Gymnasium, Guangzhou – 9:30 pm
Game 3: Beijing Wukesong Gymnasium, Beijing
For basketball fans in Australia, the news couldn’t be better and this is a massive opportunity for the league to begin its expansion into Asia.
There are also plenty of players in that squad who don’t have contracts locked down for season 2016-17, so they will be looking for big performances in an attempt to woo potential teams.
Onwards and upwards for the NBL and its future.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde