Foxtel Group extends ESPN partnership in big win for Aussie fans of American sport

A new broadcast agreement is a major win for Aussie fans who can’t get enough for American sports like NBA, MLB and NFL.

Carlton midfielder Patrick Cripps with Geelong Forward Tom Hawkins at Fox Sports in South Melbourne. Aaron Francis Photography / Fox Sports

In great news for Aussie fans of US sport, you’ll still be able to watch the best of the NBA, NFL, MLB, UFC and more in a new deal between Foxtel and ESPN.

The Foxtel Group today announced a new multi-year, multi-platform agreement with ESPN to continue to serve millions of sports subscribers with ESPN’s best-in-world sports programming on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.

The agreement builds on the 21 years of programming arrangements between the Foxtel Group and ESPN, which has been providing world-class sport to Australian audiences since 2002.

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ESPN boasts the most comprehensive set of rights to elite United States leagues – such as the

National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB), UFC and all marquee events across US College Sports – with this agreement ensuring select matches will be available to Foxtel and Kayo Sports subscribers each week during those seasons.

ESPN is also Australia’s ‘Home of Hoops’ through its rights to the NBA, National Basketball League (NBL), FIBA competitions (including the upcoming 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup), WNBA, WNBL and US College Basketball.

Kayo ambassador Patrick Cripps loves his NBA. Photo: Aaron Francis Photography / Fox Sports

In addition to enhancing Foxtel Group’s live sports offering, ESPN also provides access to a huge volume of original programming, including flagship studio shows like SportsCenter, First Take, Pardon The Interruption, NBA Today and NFL Primetime, along with documentaries and special features, including ESPN Films 30 for 30 catalogue.

Foxtel Group Executive Director – Commercial, Sport Rebecca McCloy, said: “We are proud to be the home of Australia’s biggest and most popular sports through Foxtel and Kayo Sports – it’s great news for our millions of sports subscribers that this deal will ensure they continue to have access to the best of ESPN’s world-class sports.

“We know how popular ESPN’s coverage of sports like the NBA, NFL and MLB is with our

subscribers.

“This deal complements long-term rights agreements we have with the National Rugby League, Cricket Australia, the Australian Football League, Supercars Australia, the PGA of Australia, Netball Australia and many others – which show that we truly are the home of Australia’s most popular local and global sports.

“These rights, and the strength and quality of coverage from Fox Sports and partners like ESPN, is continuing to drive the growth of our award-winning streaming service Kayo Sports – which now has more than 1.3 million subscribers.”

The ESPN deal is great news for fans of American sports. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Kylie Watson-Wheeler, said: “We are pleased to extend our longstanding relationship with Foxtel Group. This multi-year deal provides Australian sports fans with access to a comprehensive slate of ESPN programming, including our award-winning films, flagship studio shows and extensive major sport properties.

“ESPN is the global sports leader with coverage of the world’s biggest sporting events, like the 2023 NFL Super Bowl which delivered a record-breaking audience for the network locally. Viewership is growing strongly across NBA and NFL programming and attracting a highly desirable audience aged 39 or younger.

“Australians clearly love their sports and have an ever-growing appetite for the US major leagues, which makes ESPN programming so highly viewed and valued across all platforms it is delivered.”

The Foxtel Group is owned by News Corp, publisher of this masthead.

Originally published as Foxtel Group extends ESPN partnership in big win for Aussie fans of American sport