Disney+ Makes Multiyear Deal With NBA In The Philippines
In the past year, Disney has been slowly rolling out its ESPN sports coverage globally on Disney+, and today, a new multi-year deal has been announced to bring the NBA to Disney+ in the Philippines.
Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the Philippines, and fans will be able to watch live games, along with studio shows like “NBA Tip-Off” and “Inside The NBA”.
The live NBA coverage will kick off on Thursday, 20th November, with two games: Houston Rockets vs Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks vs Dallas Mavericks.
Basketball fans will be able to live-stream select regular-season and playoff games, as well as marquee events such as NBA on Christmas Day, the NBA Draft, the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and select NBA Summer League matchups. Subscribers will also get access to the NBA Conference Finals series live, with the other Conference Finals and the NBA Finals available on delay.
Last week, Disney hosted a special APAC Showcase at Hong Kong Disneyland, where it spoke about expanding ESPN across Asia, and this new deal is another step in that expansion. Earlier this year, a ESPN hub was added to Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand.
Vineet Puri, Disney’s vice president and general manager for Southeast Asia, said in a statement regarding the deal:
“For millions of Filipinos, basketball isn’t just a sport — it’s a passion, a shared language and a powerful source of national pride. The NBA is deeply woven into the fabric of Filipino life, inspiring generations of fans and uniting local communities. Through this unique deal, we are bringing basketball fans in the Philippines closer than ever to the teams and players they love with all the NBA-focused programming while enjoying the best in global entertainment all on Disney+.”
NBA’s Kelly Cooke, head of content partnerships and DTC in Asia, added:
“There has never been a better time to be an NBA fan in the Philippines. Our collaboration with Disney+ Philippines makes it easier than ever for our passionate fans across the country to access the NBA, experience iconic moments from throughout the season and follow their favorite teams and players on the devices and platforms they use most.”
Roger’s Take: This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as Disney has already made deals with the NBA for some global rights, so we will likely see more NBA coverage to start being rolled out in other regions in the coming months and years ahead. It also continues to show how ESPN sports content is going to become a bigger part of Disney+ in the future.
What do you think of this new deal with the NBA? Let me know on social media!
