FIBA Googles Google As First Global Partner For Women’s Basketball, World Cup
Tuesday, August 30, 2022 at 04:41PM By Barry Janoff
August 30, 2022: FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, said today it has signed a deal with Google to become its first global partner for women's basketball and the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
This is an expansion of Google’s presence in women’s hoops, including a multi-year partnership signed with the WNBA in 2021 as a Changemaker.
The Google pact begins with the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Sydney, Australia (Sept. 22-Oct. 1), where Google will be the exclusive presenter of the All-Star 5, recognizing the tournament’s best players.
Financial terms of the deal, which runs through 2022 and will “then be re-evaluated,” were not shared.
"FIBA is determined to further build women's basketball and take it to the next level, and we are delighted to welcome on board Google as a global partner for the women's game,” Andreas Zagklis, FIBA secretary general, said via the organization.
“We are excited to work with such a prestigious brand with whom we share the same strategic goals in regard to women's development.”
As part of the alliance, Google and FIBA will work with ESPN to distribute the entire Women's World Cup.
Six games will air exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN2 and ESPNU.
According to FIBA, that would be the most Women's World Cup games to ever air on live TV in the U.S.
The remaining games will be available on ESPN+.
People can also watch an additional six games live on FIBA's YouTube channel and the remaining games on FIBA's Courtside 1891 subscription streaming platform.
The USA Women’s National Team is among the 12 teams participating in the tournament.
Team USA players under head coach Cheryl Reeve include (subject to change) Diamond DeShields, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ion
escsu, Brionna Jones, Jewel Loyd, Arike Ogunbowale, Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart.
"At Google, we’re committed to championing equal representation in sports," Kate Johnson, Google director of global sports, media and entertainment marketing, said via the company.
"As FIBA's first-ever global women's partner, we're proud to help bring even more women's basketball content to U.S. airwaves and introduce fans to the global game.”
According to Johnson, “Through this partnership with FIBA and our collaboration with ESPN, we want to continue to extend visibility and exposure to women's basketball globally and provide women athletes the recognition they deserve and have worked so hard for."
FIBA partners also include Nike, TCL, Tencent, Tissot and Wanda Group.
"This partnership promises great things for women's basketball and the interest in the game globally,” said Zagklis.
“Google and its worldwide reach opens countless possibilities to push women's basketball in the future and we look forward to working with them to enhance the game and attract new fans."