MUMBAI: Europe?s leading sports marketing group, Sportfive International, will continue to serve as the International Basketball Association?s (Fiba) exclusive media rights partner for four more years till 2015.

The deal will see the agency continue to market Fiba?s major rights in Asia, excluding Japan and the pan-Arab region. Fiba had first partnered with Sportfive in 2007.

The period will include the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship in the Philippines, the 2013 Fiba Asia Women?s Championship in Thailand, the 2014 Fiba Basketball World Cup in Spain, the 2014 Fiba Women?s World Championship in Turkey, and in 2015 the Fiba Asia Championships for men and women with the host countries to be announced soon.
 
?We are very pleased to continue our partnership with Fiba. It has been a successful and enjoyable collaboration so far and we are continuing our work to further strengthen this relationship. We hope that this renewal will become just one of many projects as we move forward this year and develop new basketball opportunities," said Sportfive International chief executive Shaila-Ann Rao.

MUMBAI: The International Basketball Association (Fiba) and ESPN have agreed to a multi-year, multi-platform (TV, internet and mobile) agreement, which includes the rights to more than 400 games across six tournaments from 2013-2015.

The agreement covers the Fiba Americas Championships (2013, 2015), the EuroBaskets (2013, 2015), the Fiba Basketball World Cup (2014) and the Fiba World Championship for Women (2014).

"I"ESPN?s commitment to international basketball continues to intensify as the sport?s global popularity soars," said ESPN vice-president, programming and acquisitions Leah LaPlaca. "This agreement expands our year-round basketball presence while serving the passionate and growing Spanish-speaking audience in the US."

Fiba Secretary General Patrick Baumann said: "Following a great collaboration over the past three years, we are delighted to announce that ESPN have once again decided to partner with us and our events, including the 2014 Fiba Basketball World Cup which is set to be the biggest basketball event of all time. International basketball is as exciting as sport gets and it is great that the US audience can continue to follow our competitions thanks to a coverage that is second to none."

ESPN?s television rights will result in telecasts in both English and Spanish, extending throughout the United States and its territories, excluding Puerto Rico. Overall, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPN Deportes will combine to televise every game. All Team USA and Gold Medal Games will air live on ESPN or ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes.