ESPN Classic to show classic FIBA matches

[plato-ny]

ESPN Classic to show FIBA Basketball

GENEVA (FIBA) - The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and ESPN Classic, one of the world's premier non-live sports channels, today announced a new collaboration providing the broadcaster with a selection of games from the FIBA Library.

The multi-year agreement means that ESPN Classic will broadcast classic games from previous FIBA World and Continental Championships as well as legendary European Club Competition games.

FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann said: "We have been exploring various ways of utilising the FIBA archive of standout games and our partnership with ESPN Classic will now give basketball fans the opportunity to see and thoroughly enjoy some of the unforgettable games from the past. The planned programming will include men's and women's national team and club basketball on both a World and Continental level and will serve as a wonderful opportunity for fans of international basketball to relive these incomparable moments."

Tony Stimpson, ESPN Classic Director of Programming for Europe, commented: "ESPN Classic continues to expand throughout Europe and we have found increasing interest for basketball content. By working with FIBA we will now be able to show the very best of international basketball through both pan-regional and country specific content. Our mission is to serve sports fans and, with this top quality programming from FIBA, we will deliver on this promise to all our European basketball enthusiasts".

The first ESPN Classic FIBA Basketball programming is planned for 1st and 2nd September which will serve as a lead-up to the forthcoming 2007 FIBA European Championship (EuroBasket) to be held in Spain.

[mouxritsa]

This is very good news. Does this also mean that ESPN will be covering the 2007 Eurobasket in Spain?

[ttentelh]

it is not on the schedule on espn listings.