With the US domestic media rights now locked in until 2036, the NBA announced in March that it has turned to discussions with governing body FIBA to create a new independent European basketball league. The league would be a separate entity and not become part of the existing EuroLeague competition run independently of FIBA, as initial proposals to merge were denied. The launch of an NBA-styled league in Europe provides an opportunity for the NBA to build on its commercial presence in the region and create a stronger pathway for European players to the US league.

A new league would face competition for attention from established domestic and pan-European leagues, including the fast-growing EuroLeague, which saw record attendances in the 2024-25 season. Ampere’s Sports Consumer survey, however, highlights that the size of the NBA’s fanbase surpasses that of domestic leagues and the EuroLeague among European basketball fans, thanks to the recognisable brand, the quality of the US competition, and an increasing number of homegrown players to support.

At the same time, NBA media rights values are often disproportionately low in European markets relative to fandom, impacted in particular by time zone differences meaning live games are broadcast at poor times for the European fan. Amazon’s acquisition of NBA rights, including NBA Finals games, across major European markets also limits the league’s ability to further monetise the competition in the region. As a result, a league within Europe has the potential to be a new avenue for driving greater media rights income for the NBA internationally.

There are particular markets and demographics which are well-positioned for the NBA to target with a new European league. In Spain, fandom of the domestic league, Liga ACB, rivals that of the NBA, whereas the NBA is by far the most popular basketball league in markets such as France, Germany and the UK – although basketball fandom in the UK remains low relative to other domestic sports. For France and Germany in particular, the league would be able to leverage the NBA’s global branding while facing less domestic competition to attract broadcasters looking to engage basketball fans.

Additionally, Ampere’s data on 18-64 year-old sports fans highlights that, across the big five European markets, the average NBA fan is 5.2 years younger than the domestic basketball league fan. France and Germany show the largest age gaps, with the NBA fans being 7.1 and 6.2 years younger on average than domestic league fans respectively. A new league has the potential to attract those younger audiences that are an appealing target demographic for broadcasters and advertisers alike.

A new league faces the challenge of entering a market with several established basketball leagues, posing a threat to its own growth as well as existing European competitions like the EuroLeague. Recent media rights growth in Europe is also notably slower than in the US, raising questions over which broadcasters have sufficient budget to invest substantially in a new property. At the same time, the NBA has the potential to engage its younger fanbase across select key markets to drive revenue growth in a challenging region for US sports leagues.