LONDON, Oct. 22, 2019– Ahead of the season tip-off, Sky Sports, the UK home of the National Basketball Association(NBA), has announced that it will broadcast a record number of primetime games for the 2019/2020 season.
Sky Sports will feature all 30 teams and over 170 games;48 of those will tip-off between 6.00 pm and 11.00 pm UK on Saturday and Sunday, giving fans on this side of the Atlantic greater access to their favorite teams than ever before. Sky will broadcast up to five live games per week including opening night, where the NBA Champion Toronto Raptors, featuring London-born OG Anunoby, begin the defense of their title against the New Orleans Pelicans. Sky will also cover all the key moments of the season including NBA All-Star 2020,the NBA Playoffs and The Finals. Additionally,Sky Sports will broadcast five back-to-back games on Christmas Day and three on Martin Luther King (MLK) Day on 20th January, as well as the clash between the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks in Paris on 24th January as part of The NBA Paris Game 2020.
In addition Sky Sports have also announced a brand new weekly Basketball show hosted by Jaydee Dyer, with Great Britain International and TV personality Ovie Soko appearing as a regular guest alongside Mo Mooncey. The new 30-minute show will look at the biggest stories, names and talking points in the NBA– on and off the court. The show will first be broadcast on Tuesday evenings on the Sky Sports’ YouTube channel, before being shown on Sky Sports.
Upon his appointment, Ovie Soko had these words to say: “I’m delighted to be joining Sky Sports. I’ve lived and breathed basketball since I was a child, and to be offered the opportunity to be part of the team delivering this sport to millions of fans was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I can’t wait for the NBA season to get underway and offering my thoughts across Sky Sports platforms. This NBA season will be one of the best yet!”
Sky Sports subscribers will also have access to a host of official NBA TV content, including ‘The Warmup’, a new show previewing the night’s games each weekday, while Game Time and NBA Action continue to be available this season. Additionally, Sky Sports will also air new one-off specials – including a new 90-minute NBA Championship film celebrating the Toronto Raptors first-ever NBA title – season previews, documentaries and more classic games from seasons gone by.
Sky Sports will broadcast fully produced feeds from NBA TV for the primetime games, while Thursday’s late games will feature TNT pre-game and half-time analysis, meaning consumers will miss none of the action and in-depth breakdown. What’s more, viewers will also have access to TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ post-game show with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. And selected Wednesday and Friday games will be broadcast by one of NBC’s seven regional sports networks, including games featuring the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers.
For more information about Sky Sports,viewers can visit www.skysports.com.
Season-long Games and Programming:
- 170+ Live games and Classic Games
- Christmas Day Games
- NBA Paris Game 2020
- NBA All-Star 2020
- NBA Playoffs
- NBA Finals
- 48 Live Weekend Primetime Games
- Inside the NBA post game show
- NBA Action highlight show
- NBA ‘The Warm Up’ preview show
- 30 team previews and 3 special season prediction shows
- NBA GameTime show
Key game highlights (UK times):
- Week 1: Los Angeles Lakers @ L.A. Clippers (Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2.30am) – a huge game on the opening night of the season with the Battle of L.A. – LeBron James & Anthony Davis taking on Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.
- Week 5: Dallas Mavericks @ Houston Rockets (Sunday, Nov. 24, 8.30pm) – Rookie of the Year Luka Dončić’s Mavericks face off against James Harden’s Rockets.
- Week 18: Sacramento Kings @ L.A. Clippers (Saturday, Feb 22, 8.30pm) – the NBA’s most exciting young team vs one of the title favourites.
- Week 18: Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers (Sunday, Feb 23, 8.30pm) – the league’s most storied rivalry goes head-to-head once again.
- Christmas Day: Boston Celtics @ Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets @ Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers & New Orleans Pelicans @ Denver Nuggets (Wednesday, Dec. 24, from 5.00am) – a whole host of festive action to enjoy.
- MLK day: Philaldephia 76ers @ Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors @ Portland Trail Blazers (Monday, Jan. 20, from 8.00pm)
