Toronto — Sportsnet’s The Score announced it has reached a two-year multi-platform agreement with FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, for the rights to eight marquee FIBA events across television, online, and mobile.
The new agreement, which runs through 2014, features the following premier men’s and women’s FIBA events: 2013 Americas Championship, 2013 U19 World Championship, 2014 Basketball World Cup and 2014 U17 Basketball World Cup.
The announcement continues The Score’s strong tradition as the home of amateur athletics, as well as the go-to destination for hardcore hoops fans.
“We’re in a golden age of basketball in Canada. We are the country to watch for future basketball stars and this new partnership with FIBA provides a tremendous opportunity to showcase home-grown talent to Canadians,” said Navaid Mansuri, Vice-President, Programming, Sportsnet. “The Score has always been at the forefront of basketball and amateur athletics in Canada, and the addition of these events ensures that Canadians will be able to see more world-class hoops action than ever before.”
FIBA action tips off on The Score with the men’s and women’s U19 Americas Championship beginning on June 27 and July 18, respectively, and continuing with the men’s and women’s Americas Championship beginning on August 30 and September 27, respectively. These are important tournaments for Canada’s teams, as they look to secure spots in the 2014 Basketball World Cup. Broadcast details will be announced in the coming weeks.
As outlined by Dave Zarum in the April 1, 2013 edition of Sportsnet magazine, Canadian basketball fortunes have never been stronger, evidenced by Andrew Wiggins — the centerpiece of a tremendous wave of Canadian basketball talent that will be making itself known internationally in the very near future. Other Canadians to watch include Tristan Thompson, who in 2011 became the first Canadian taken in the first round of the NBA Draft in 10 years. By the time Wiggins is taken in the 2014 NBA Draft, as many as 10 Canadians have the potential to be drafted by NBA teams in the space of just four years, with athletes like Anthony Bennett, Kelly Olynyk and Myck Kabongo expected to be drafted in 2013 alone.
