The European Basketball Championship, which is also held in Cologne and Berlin, is an event – which is also due to the enthusiastic performance of the German national team. But the games cannot be seen on free TV. That annoys many.
The German national basketball team will play against Slovenia on Tuesday evening (from 8.30 p.m. on MagentaTV). The Cologne Arena, where the Germans will play their preliminary round matches, will be sold out again with 18,000 spectators and the atmosphere will be great. That’s because the German basketball players are successful. In three games they have been victorious three times and qualified early for the round of 16. Against the reigning European champions Slovenia around superstar Luka Doncic, the fourth success is needed to defend the lead in the table. The Germans want to avoid the heavy chunks of Turkey or Spain in the round of 16.
The tournament as a whole has been a great success so far. Never before have there been so many NBA players at the start, including in the German team, but you don’t see a game live on the public broadcasters. This means that basketball in Germany lacks a large audience. It is reported, but only in the form of game summaries in “Morgenmagazin” or “Sportschau” and of course also on the radio. That’s something, but not comparable to live broadcasts on ARD or ZDF, whose range is much greater. Who the Germans or want to see another team live, you need MagentaTV. The streaming service broadcasts the German duels free of charge and the odds should be outstanding. Officially, MagentaTV does not announce any figures.
Early decision against live broadcasts
Months ago, ARD and ZDF decided against showing live games from the European Basketball Championship, explained ARD sports coordinator Axel Balkausky. There was “extensive sports reporting” in the summer, so “further live routes are not possible”. In other words, ARD has given priority to other sporting events, such as the European Championships or the Tour de France.
This makes the German basketball association president Ingo Weiss angry. “Then I have to say that I find it quite ignorant and disappointing that the public broadcasters are not doing their job,” Weiss railed against ARD and ZDF. He does not accept the explanations. “If you had made a deal in advance, for example about the opening game, then you could have talked about everything,” said Weiss, who admitted, however, that as association president he was not part of the negotiations and talks.
Basketball remains in the niche
What remains is the hope that the public broadcasters will broadcast at least one semi-final or final with German participation. But whether ARD and ZDF will get through to it remains questionable. Especially since such a game would run at 8:30 p.m. in prime time. For this, ARD or ZDF would have to be willing to shift quota providers such as Tatort or Rosamunde Pilcher. So basketball has to come to terms with the fact that it will continue to be perceived as a fringe sport in Germany for the time being, although it is no longer that.
Sources: DPA, ,
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
