NBA Europe is coming.
The National Basketball Association is going all-in on its plans to conquer Europe with a proposed 16-team league backed by $3bn of start-up capital, a huge marketing campaign and bidders for franchises valued from around $500m to in excess of $1bn. Last week, the organisation even laid off dozens of employees as they recalibrate their workforce to zero in on the expansion, among other focuses.
NBA sources have confirmed to HITC that it is projecting that it will cumulatively distribute more than $10bn across the European basketball ecosystem in the competition’s first 10 years.
Culturally, the challenge for the NBA will be a battle for eyeballs on a continent obsessed with soccer. Plans to use the brands of top soccer clubs to boost the competition’s prestige in the eyes of European consumers could help, there.
But there are many experts who remain sceptical about the NBA’s ability to cut through on the old continent. Among them is University of Liverpool sports finance expert Professor Kieran Maguire, who said in conversation with HITC: *“Is there an audience? That’s the main question. We have seen [soccer] clubs attempt to use e-sports, for example, in this way with mixed results.”*
But the NBA will take some confidence from the latest viewing figures on Prime Video, who have a $1.8bn streaming-first deal to broadcast 66 games internationally, as well as in the US.
NBA viewing figures soar outside America
Prime has announced a 28 per cent viewership increase for its NBA coverage beyond America’s borders.
It credited big gains to increased interest in Europe, as well as the Asia Pacific region and Latin America.
Zooming in on, to highlight one particularly successful instance, the French streaming market, views for the Knicks’ championship series triumph against Spurs trebled when compared to the playoffs 2024-25.
With October 2027 the projected launch date for NBA Europe and political issues, the final structure of the league and franchise ownership still to be resolved, the rising popularity of basketball in Europe will be used as evidence for the commercial viability of the product.
