BBL IN ONLINE RETURN

The BBL is to pilot a new online streaming of its games after agreeing a test run with technology company Hawk Eye.

The company, best known for its electronic line calling service for the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships and its Premier League football goal line technology, will see four BBL games streamed live and for free in January 2016 via Skysports.com and Webcastsport.com, along with two WBBL ties.

It comes after the league failed to find any broadcast outlet for the current campaign after breaking its link with Eurosport and axing its online BBL TV service due to poor subscriber numbers.

“This is a hugely exciting first step towards our goal of bringing British basketball to fans worldwide,” Bob Hope, Commercial Director, BBL, WBBL and GB Basketball said.

“I would like to thank all parties involved who have worked both hard and selflessly to pull this ground-breaking collaboration together.

“Not only will the partnership give fans the opportunity of watching live games on their PCs but also on their tablets and Smartphones, and all for free.”

Games

Fri Jan 8, 2016 – Live Stream from 19.15
The Copper Box, London: BBL Championship – London Lions v Leicester Riders

Sun Jan 17, 2016 – Live Stream from 11.45
Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham: WBBL Trophy Final, BBL Slam Dunk, BBL Cup Final

Fri Jan 22, 2016 – Live Stream from 19.15
University of Worcester Arena, Worcester: BBL Championship – Worcester Wolves v Newcastle Eagles

Sat Jan 30, 2016 – Live Stream from 15.45
Leicester Community Sports Arena, Leicester: WBBL Championship – Leicester Riders v Sheffield Hatters & BBL Championship – Leicester Riders v Surrey Scorchers

The four pilot BBL events are to be produced by sports broadcaster, WebcastSport, using Hawk-Eye’s SMART production service, a solution that significantly reduces the cost of live basketball production by up to 75% without impacting on the quality of the output.

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