InsideHoops.com NewsWire: PlayON! Sports, a division of Turner Sports, and the American Basketball Association (ABA) announced today an agreement to provide online streaming of the league’s games on an exclusive ABA broadband channel beginning with the 2007-08 season. Throughout the season, which begins November 10th, select regular season and playoff games will be available both live and on-demand via the broadband channel, marking the first time that the ABA will offer online streaming of its basketball games. Web streaming of the games will be on a subscription basis and will initially include approx. 300 games featuring ABA teams in the US, Canada and Mexico. All games will be available internationally. Additional details regarding the schedule and teams will be available upon the start of the season.
“The American and international teams that comprise the ABA are known for both their spirited play and athleticism. We are thrilled to expand the PlayON! Sports portfolio with the ABA, and give basketball fans around the world access to the excitement of the league from the comfort of their computer,” said Phil Sharpe, SVP/GM of the PlayON! Sports.
“We are very pleased and proud to be a part of Turner Broadcasting and are excited that we can bring the live action of ABA basketball games worldwide,” said Paul Riley, VP of ABA Media. “Fans will be able to see virtually every team in the league, and once they do, they will realize why the ABA has grown as it has. It is fast-paced and exciting basketball – and now the world can see it.”
The ABA joins an expanding portfolio of PlayON! Sports properties including the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun) and United Soccer League (USL). PlayON! Sports is a division of Turner Sports which operates and manages new media businesses for sports properties, including NASCAR.com, PGATOUR.com, PGA.com.
Turner Sports, Inc., a Time Warner company, presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports’ line-up includes the NBA, NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, Major League Baseball, college football, professional golf, PGATour.com and PGA.com.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news, entertainment and sports products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.
American Basketball Association, Inc. is an Indiana corporation that is engaged in operating a professional basketball league composed of teams in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The ABA is innovative in its approach to bring diverse, family-friendly, exciting basketball to fans. ABA also markets league-related merchandise and other products and is developing or expanding media outlets and ancillary entertainment businesses that complement the league’s operations. For more information about the ABA, visit www.abalive.com.
U.S. ABA teams are located in cities across the country including: Atlanta, Ga; Boston, Mass; Chicago Ill; Detroit, Mich; Houston, Texas; Miami, Fla; Las Vegas, Nev; Dallas, Texas; San Diego, Calif; San Francisco, Calif; St. Louis, Mo; Orlando, Fla; Jacksonville, Fla; Sacramento, Calif; Buffalo, NY; Long Beach, Calif; Palm Beach, Calif; Honolulu, Hawaii; Long Island, NY; Syracuse, NY; Chattanooga, Tenn; Madison, NJ; Maywood, Calif; Louisville, Ky; Macon, Ga; Anderson, Ind; Little Rock, Ark; Bellingham, Wash; Turlock, Calif; Cape Cod, Mass; Cicero, Ill; Corning, NY; Delaware; Gallup, NM; Henderson, Nev; King County, Wash; Cleveland, Miss; Norfolk, Va; Aliso Viejo; Calif; Peoria, Ill; Davenport, Iowa; McAllen, Texas; Rochester, Minn; Rockford, Ill; Rome, Ga; Cornwall, Vt; Midland, Texas; Westchester, NY.