ITV has announced that it is to provide extensive coverage of American basketball action this winter. The channel will screen four programmes a week from the National Basketball Association (NBA) across both ITV and its digital version, ITV2 (see Newsline).
Under the NBA ’99 banner, the channel will broadcast a magazine show on Saturdays on ITV, beginning on 13 February. Two one-hour programmes featuring highlights from top games will be run on ITV2 on Saturday and Wednesday evenings.
According to ITV, basketball is currently the second most played sport by British teenage boys. Brian Barwick, controller of sport for ITV, commented: “We are taking the athleticism, style and raw competitive edge of the sport as read. What we intend to do is to broaden and strengthen its appeal by stripping away some of the mystique surrounding basketball, such as explaining the rules and language within the game.
ITV: 0171 843 8000 NBA Europe: 00 33 1 5353 6205
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