The NBA and YouTube announced the launch of the NBA’s first YouTube channel dedicated to fans in sub-Saharan Africa.
On the channel, fans will get to watch two live games per week in primetime for the rest of the 2018-19 season, including the Playoffs, Conference Finals and The Finals.
The first two live game broadcasts on the new NBA Africa YouTube channel will take place on Sunday, 24 March and will feature the Charlotte Hornets hosting the Boston Celtics at 12:00am (CAT) followed by the L.A. Clippers visiting the New York Knicks at 6:00pm (CAT).
The channel will feature original and archived programming, including a collaboration with Africa-based YouTube creators on original content, a customized weekly magazine show and NBA documentaries featuring current and former African players and legends.
The channel will also showcase the league’s long history of growing basketball at all levels across the continent and using the game as a platform to inspire and empower African youth.
🏀🌍BREAKING: @NBA and @YouTube launch league’s first channel dedicated to fans in sub-Saharan Africa with first live games to feature @celtics at @hornets & @LAClippers at @nyknicks this weekend 👉🏾https://t.co/LJ2ySBRz3e pic.twitter.com/M2ZDu5Hatw
— NBA Africa (@NBA_Africa) March 20, 2019
The NBA’s partnership with YouTube goes back more than a decade when it became the first professional sports league to partner with YouTube and launch its own channel in 2005, and the first to join YouTube’s “Claim Your Content” program in 2007. Last year, YouTube TV became the first presenting partner of NBA Finals and WNBA Finals. To date, the NBA YouTube channel has generated more than 5.4 billion views.
Last month, the NBA and FIBA announced their plan to launch the Basketball Africa League (BAL), a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. The BAL will build on the NBA’s existing grassroots and elite basketball development initiatives on the continent, including the Jr. NBA, Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa and The NBA Academy Africa.
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